…as Gerald Phiri Jnr is named brand ambassador for 2018 Carlsberg Cup…
Castel Malawi Limited has expressed its commitment to continue sponsoring football as one way of developing the sport in the country.
The remarks were made by the company’s Managing Director Gilles Leclerc on Friday when the company pledged its K40 million sponsorship package of Carlsberg Cup to the Football Association of Malawi (FAM).
“Castel Malawi Limited will roll out the Carlsberg Cup 2018 as one of the initiatives to celebrate 50 years of the Carlsberg brand in Malawi.
“It has been 18 years that the Carlsberg Cup has been in existence. And it is part of the brands heritage in Malawi. It is one way of celebrating our football association over the years. And as a company, we would like to reaffirm our commitment to sponsoring the tournament.
“As good corporate citizens, we feel duty bound to support Government in football development as well as contributing to the enhancement of the socioeconomic fabric of the country through various sponsorship and the Carlsberg Cup being one of them,” he said.
On his part, FAM President Walter Nyamilandu hailed Castel Malawi for coming back to football despite change of administration at the company.
He, however, pleaded with teams to safeguard the sponsorship from Castel Malawi Limited.
“As Football Association of Malawi, we are very grateful to Castel Malawi for coming back to football with an assurance of continued support toward the Carlsberg Cup. However, we are pleading with teams and Malawians to safeguard this sponsorship. My administration will not allow individuals to threaten the game through violence and perpetrators will be punished accordingly by the association’s disciplinary committee.
“I didn’t like what happened at Bingu National Stadium a fortnight ago during the Airtel Top 8 finals. I won’t allow that behavior to spoil the game and once found guilty, the perpetrators will face the full wrath of the law. We must respect rules governing football in Malawi and violence has and will never be a solution,” he said.
During the ceremony, Castel Malawi Limited named Flames and Platinum Stars midfielder Gerald Phiri Jnr as the 2018 Carlsberg Cup brand ambassador.
The FA will announce the kickoff dates for the tournament. A total of 62 teams from the four regions will participate in the competition from which 16 teams will make it to the national level where they will compete with Super League teams.
Nyasa Big Bullets are the current holders of the cup which they won after beating Be Forward Wanderers 5-4 on penalties last year.
