FAM wants Puma replicas contract reviewed

The future of Football Association of Malawi (FAM) technical sponsorship deal with giant sportswear firm Puma looks uncertain.

FAM say they are planning to ask Puma to consider reviewing the Flames replica jersey deal so that it accommodates different qualities that can be accessed by different classes of people.

FAM commercial and public relations manager Casper Jangale confirmed that the replicas are running out of stock, but the association cannot order another consignment until the issue at hand is resolved.

Jangale said according to a recent market analysis, the class of people that wanted the replicas were mostly lower class.

“It is not that we did not offer a suitable product, but our market is mostly the lower class who can hardly afford. Unfortunately, other brands ascertain the quality according to the class of people,” he said.

Jangale confessed that it will be a tall order to convince the giant sportswear firm to take that route because it only comes up with a standard product at a time “and it is not easy to deal with a giant institution such as Puma”.

Puma manager for Africa zone had not yet responded to our questionnaire sent through e-mail as ofThursday, but the brand’s local agent Ben Chiwaya said Puma cannot accept such kind of arrangement.

“FAM should stick to the contract or negotiate for termination,” said Chiwaya.

Jangale said they are collecting money from agents who were involved in the sales of the replicas so as to determine how much has been realised from the venture.

He further said that they are hoping to sell the remaining jerseys ahead of the forthcoming 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Namibia’s Brave Warriors and Kenya’s Harambee Stars.

Last year, FAM conceded that they were in breach of contract with Puma having failed to meet a July deadline to order another consignment of the replica jerseys.

The association had hoped to sell half of the 10 700 initial consignment by last July, so that it could order another lot as per agreement with the giant sportswear manufacturer.

But FAM president Walter Nyamilandu said they could not order another consignment as they still had old stock.

According to the contract, FAM is supposed to order at least one consignment every year.

During the launch of the replicas in September 2011, Nyamilandu said as one way of maximising the sales, they planned to order two or three consignments a year. He also said FAM had an opportunity to periodically introduce a new design to refresh and excite the market.

FAM, which relies heavily on government for national team funding, has been banking on the sales of replica jerseys to boost its income, but hitches in sales had threatened to derail the association’s drive towards financial independence.

Annual subvention from Fifa and gate collections from games are the two other avenues for FAM’s revenue.

FAM had hoped to make an K18 million (about $108 000) profit from the sale of the replica jerseys.