Sponsors showdown

provide incentives for the winners of the Battle of Zimbabwe.
There is a feeling by the PSL that BancABC are tak­ing over the show, at the expense of their principal sponsor, Delta Beverages, who need to maximise the mileage opportunity offered by arguably the biggest Premiership showdown since the turn of the millen­nium.
PSL chief executive Kenny Ndebele yesterday described the move by BancABC as a direct violation of the rights of the main sponsors Castle Lager and said the league will not sanction the arrangement.
The PSL have also threatened to withhold prizes for  clubs at the end of the season if they accept Ban­cABC’s offer.   
The financial institution this week unveiled a pack­age, which included a US$15 000 winner-take-all pack­age, camping fees, US$5 000 for the team that scores in the first five minutes, US$1 500 for the man-of-the-match and an assortment of promotions and entertain­ment for the fans.
But the PSL bosses, who were conspicuous by their absence from the media conference called by BancABC, yesterday issued a strong warning to the clubs instruct­ing them not to accept the proposals by the bank, which are being viewed as ambush marketing.
The league’s sponsors, Delta Beverages, are not happy with the arrangement.
In a statement, Ndebele yesterday said “the incentives and packages offered to Dynamos FC and Highlanders FC by the Clubs Sponsor are not permissible under the current Sponsorship Agreement entered into by and between Delta Beverages and the Premier Soccer League.
“If the clubs fail to comply with the instruction, the League will have no alternative but to cancel the          match.
“Further the League will withhold the full Castle Lager Premier Soccer League prize money of the defaulting Club(s). Such prize money shall be forfeited to the League.
“The Castle Lager Premier Soccer League would like to advise all its members to ensure that they fully com­ply with the League’s Sponsorship Agreements, the PSL Constitution, Rules and Regulations and other relevant statutes in order to avoid conflicts.
“We trust that the clubs will guide and advise their commercial partners accordingly.
“We categorically state that the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League enjoys good and cordial relations with all its stakeholders hence our mission to develop elite foot­ball and promote the PSL brand for the benefits of its members and stakeholders through competitions, pro­grammes and activities.”
But BancABC have refuted the notion that they are engaging in ambush marketing, insisting that they want to contribute in the game by boosting the competition by availing a range of incentives to the clubs they spon­sor since it is a high-profile match.
The company’s managing director, Hashmon Mate­mera, told the media conference that they had done the same with some of the games involving the clubs they sponsor.
BancABC had also lined up musical acts such as Iyasa, Sulumani Chimbetu, Winky D and Tedius Mat­sito to entertain the fans.
There are also prizes for best dressed fans and best celebrations which include fuel coupons, decoders and subscriptions.  
DeMbare lead the championship race with 58 points, two ahead of their rivals, which makes Sunday’s match a major drawcard. 
Ndebele said the league will not accept BancABC’s involvement and indicated that the match, which could have a huge bearing on the destiny of this year’s champi­onship, could only take place under the following con­ditions:
l The two teams shall play for points — three points for the winners, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss.
l The Castle Lager Logo shall appear on all the sleeves of players shirts.
l Club Sponsors’ logo may appear on the players and officials tracksuits, warm-up shirts and bibs.
l No prize money shall be paid to clubs, players and officials, before, during or after the match.
l No club sponsors’ T-shirts, flags, scarves, bibs or other paraphernalia is to be distributed inside and out­side the stadium, before, during and after the match.
Ndebele acknowledged BancABC’s good intentions but said it was not possible for the financial institution to come on board because of the league’s contractual agreement with Delta Beverages.
Castle Lager are the exclusive sponsors of the league, according to Article Four of their agreement and any sponsors who may wish to come on board should get written consent from the beverage manufacturer.
“In terms of Article 4.1 of the Sponsorship Agree­ment;
Article 4: Official Sponsor
4.1 Delta Beverages shall be the exclusive sponsor of the Competition (“Competition” meaning the Premier Soccer League Championship running over a nine (9) month period from March to November of the same year, and comprising 240 football matches between 16 football teams which shall play 30 matches each for a PRIZE to be SPONSORED by Delta Beverages).
4.2 Premier Soccer League and the respective Clubs may, subject to DELTA APPROVAL of the arrangement and the sub-sponsor, which approval shall not be unrea­sonably withheld, negotiate sub-sponsorship arrange­ments with third parties for the supply of apparel, accommodation, transport and other specific require­ments to Premier Soccer League and to the Football Clubs competing in the Competition, provided that the status accorded to such suppliers shall be “official sup­plier” of [identity item] status and not “official sponsor” status which belongs exclusively to Delta Beverages.
We appreciate that Club Sponsors are the lifeblood of our Clubs. It is important that Sponsorship rights are allocated and shared for the benefits of all Stakeholders. Football Clubs must respect contracts entered into by the League Sponsors.
Our Sponsorship Agreement with Delta Beverages expressly states that:
Article 11: Competition
11.2 Premier Soccer League shall ensure that the only major league football competition running in Zim­babwe during the football season shall at all times be the Competition and it shall not introduce any competi­tions or football matches which might reasonably be considered to undermine the status of the Competition without prior written consent of Delta Beverages with the exception of approved knock out tournaments . . .
11.5 Premier Soccer League shall endeavour to ensure that matches in the Competition:
11.5.2 are recognised as Premier Soccer League matches and shall use its best endeavours to ensure that wherever possible, it does not schedule matches of a knock out or of similar nature at the same time as the Competition matches,” read part of the statement.

Fixtures
Tomorrow: Monomotapa v Black Mambas (Rufaro), Quelaton v Harare City (Luveve), Blue Rangers v Motor Action (Gwanzura), FC Platinum v Chicken Inn (Mandava)
Sunday: Hardbody v Shabanie (Ascot), Dynamos v Highlanders (Rufaro), Buffaloes v Hwange (Sakubva), CAPS v Gunners (Gwanzura)