April 18 – Beer brand Castel has returned to sponsor Malawian football with an €887,000 (1 billion Kawcha) commitment to the local challenge cup.
The new sponsorship agreement will run for three years, with an annual investment by Castel of €283,000 (320 million Kwacha). The winners will receive €44,000 in prize money (50 million Kwacha) with the runner-ups pocketing half of that amount. The losing semi-finalists will get €8,800 (10 million Kwacha).
“This is an enormous economic responsibility and great platform for talent development in Malawi,” said Castel’s managing director Thomas Reynaud.
“Our commitment is to make sure we support the government in talent development from the grassroots and that the business positively impacts the society.”
“We felt it was very important to increase the fans’ happiness. You, know, Blantyre has been impacted by Cyclone Freddy. We would like to see a lot of fun in the population. Football is international. it’s a big link among the population. We want to see more fun and happiness.”
The Challenge Cup serves as Malawi’s national cup and features all clubs, from the amateur level to the Super League, the country’s top flight.
In 2019, the beer brand had withdrawn financial support because of declining sales, but their return signifies a landmark deal for the local game. The president of the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) Walter Nyamilandu claimed it was a record deal.
“We cannot wait to ignite the fire that was lacking to catapult the game of football to greater heights,” said Nyamilandu. “Of utmost significance, this evening is the commitment that Castel has set aside over K1 billion for sponsorship of the Castel Challenge Cup for three years, from 2023 to 2025.”
“For this year alone, Castel is pumping over K320 million into the football competition. This is humongous by our standards. It is a dream come true because the football family has been yearning for such lucrative sponsorship for a long time. I cannot stop pinching myself for such a windfall.”
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