SRFA close in on five-year sponsorship

The Southern Region Football Association (SRFA) claims to have closed in on a five-year sponsorship to be unveiled in a fortnight.

Raphael Humba, chairperson of SRFA, said this on Tuesday while keeping a tight lid on the identity of the prospective sponsor.

Humba said the sponsor has promised to provide prize money for the champions of Premier Division and Division One. The league is without financial support since the pullout of President Peter Mutharika last season.

“We are looking at announcing the sponsorship this Friday as the earliest and January 20 the latest. The sponsor has also made a commitment to give the champions an additional package to cater for their preparations and also a set of 500 replica jerseys and scarves for them to increase their financial base. The sponsor has also promised a five-year contract starting from next season,” said Humba.

The previous sponsor gave Premier Division champions K1 million and K600 000 for the third-tier Division One champions. Premier Division champions earn promotion to the Super League while the Division One kings are promoted to Premier Division. Madrid FC currently top Division One.

“The prospective sponsor has asked us to find out how much champions for the other regional leagues are getting so that he should compare and peg the prize money for our league champions higher,” Humba claimed.

After Mutharika’s pull out before the start of the season, the league agreed with all teams that they would be competing merely for promotion and that if sponsorship was sourced, it would be a bonus.

Premier Division leaders FC Surestream Academy coach Patricio Kulemeka yesterday confirmed being assured by Humba that each division’s champions will get their prize money “but where the money is coming from, I do not know”.

FAM president Walter Nyamilandu yesterday said his association was “working actively” to ensure a financial bail-out for the country’s oldest organised football league [SRFA].

“This is the country’s oldest league and it all depends on what the sponsor who might come in will offer. Arkay Plastics did well to develop the league,” Nyamilandu said on Wednesday in an interview.