Standard Bank kit sparks controversy
Airborne Rangers on Sunday rejected the kit they were meant to wear in their Standard Bank Knockout quarter-final match against Mafco because it was insufficient and the colours were not theirs.
Airborne spokesperson Lieutenant Chance Nyembezi said the controversy surrounding the kit contributed to their 3-0 loss to Mafco.
“It is true that we were forced to put on our old uniform because we had reservations on the uniform that was provided by the sponsors (Standard Bank).
“To begin with, we informed the organisers through FAM competitions manager Gomezgani Zakazaka that we would want the kit in our maroon and white colours. We got an assurance that it would be ready by last Friday, but by the time of the pre-match meeting on Sunday morning, we had not been given the uniform,” said Nyembezi.
He said when the uniform was given to them prior to the game, they established that it was insufficient as it had 16 pieces each of jerseys, shorts and pairs of socks instead of 23.
Tigers team manager Stevie Madeira also said his team nearly rejected the kit.
“It was out of the spirit of sportsmanship that we worn the sponsor’s kit; otherwise we had our own reservations.
“Our colours are black and gold, but we were given a white and black set of uniforms which was not even sufficient. To make matters even worse, the paint for the numbers started wearing off barely 20 minutes into the game,” said Madeira.
The Nation captured Tigers’ jersey numbers paint wearing off during the game.
He also said they will not use the kit in their semi-final match and they might buy a new set altogether.
“If we cannot afford to buy a new kit then we’ll use an old TNM kit that we use for Super League matches. We have since raised the issues with FAM who are the organisers of the tournament,” said Madeira
However, the bank’s head of marketing Chimwemwe Matonga clarified that the setback came about because Airborne and Tigers were identified as the two remaining quarter-finalists after the midweek preliminary games.
“As a result of that, the supplier faced a race against time to buy the uniforms in South Africa and then send them over for the games. Otherwise, as for the other teams, they got them in good time,” said Matonga.
