adminThe meeting comes after PSL clubs met last Saturday and revisited the 2009 resolution that the league sponsors take precedence over club sponsors while event sponsors take space of 200 to 250 square centimetres on the front of the jerseys while the other sponsors take space not exceeding 20 square centimetres above.
“It’s a thorny issue because one of the sponsors has even threatened to pull out in protest over that so the league management has seen it fit to engage all the sponsors and try to come out with a common ground for the good of the league as well as protecting clubs likely to be affected,” said a source from Harare.
Earlier in the season, Charity Shield sponsors, NetOne and Dynamos sponsors BancABC, fought over kit sponsorship with the mobile telecommunications company standing its ground that the Harare giants should wear NetOne branded kits as event sponsors while BancABC could have none of it.
Eventually Dynamos played without the event sponsor branded kits but instead wore their sponsors kit and NetOne subsequently hung on to their prize money in protest over the embarrassing move by Dynamos.
BancABC also sponsors Bulawayo giants Highlanders and police side Black Mambas and with the Mbada Cup lined up, another fight is looming especially after the Saturday resolution.
However, the league’s chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele expressed ignorance over the impending meetings.
“I am not aware of such meetings,” he said.
Barely a minute later the CEO sent an sms saying: “In any event meetings with our sponsors are confidential,” an implication that the meeting could indeed be scheduled.
The source from the capital said it was felt that 13 clubs cannot suffer on behalf of the three clubs hence the decision to revisit the 2009 resolution, against worldwide trends where club sponsorship takes precedence over event or even league sponsorship.
In most leagues around the world club sponsors take the front space with the league going for the arm while event sponsors, like cup games, can either go onto the sleeve or even just on top of the jersey number at the back.
“Such a scenario where club sponsorship takes precedence is when sponsors actually fight to sponsor instead of our situation where we are begging sponsors to come,” said the source.
Contacted for comment on their position following the clubs’ resolution, BancABC country head of marketing, Cynthia Chizwina could only say:
“We will be engaging with the PSL over the issue.”
BancABC also sponsor the Sup8r Knockout tournament.
Highlanders chairman Peter Dube said the club knows how to handle and negotiate with their sponsors and as such cannot speak on behalf of the sponsors about their future with the club.
“We would, however, not take the route of not competing in any PSL organised competitions because we are an affiliate of the league,” he said.
His Dynamos counterpart Kenny Mubaiwa expressed serious concerns about the territorial wars among sponsors which are likely going to leave the clubs hardest hit.
“As clubs we rely on our sponsors for our everyday living and for us to disregard them over a once-off tournament that we are not even guaranteed of winning will be a grave mistake. It is our hope that an amicable solution will be reached,” said Mubaiwa.
Online Reporter