‘FAZ must extend sponsorship base’
THE Coronavirus pandemic has plunged the Zambian sporting calendar in disarray with associations being left with no option but to cancel or postpone events.
Football Association of Zambia, Zambia Motor Sports Association (ZMSA), Handball Association of Zambia (HAZ), and the Zambia Hockey Association (ZHA) are among the associations that have put their activities to a halt amid the virus fears.
With the Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya having confirmed two cases recorded in Zambia of the couple that went to France on a 10day holiday, Sport Council of Zambia (SCZ) advised associations to adhere to preventative measures which include restricting public gathering.
In a statement yesterday, SCZ chairperson Patrick Mutimushi urged the associations to consider rescheduling their lined up events.
“The Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development through the ministry of Health has further guided us to consider restricting public gathering and social distancing mandated to prevent infections.
FOOTBALL Association of Zambia (FAZ) presidential aspirant Joseph Nkole says there is need for the association to expand the technical sponsorship base to cover various ot er fie ds s c as t e e era e os ta t
travel and information technology.
And Nkole has noted that the last four years of the outgoing executive had been all about settling old scores and not focusing on developing the game by bringing corporate partners on board.
Nkole said once elected, he would embark on an elaborate goal-oriented and vigorous consultative process to seek technical sponsorship for the association using the various products of FAZ such as the national team, the league as well as junior and women’s teams.
“The last four years have been about settling old scores and not focusing on the fact that
Organisations within country including the SCZ have been requested to reschedule public events or use technology to advance their agenda,”
“To this end, we are called upon as leaders of various sports associations to consider the guidance from government in safeguarding the health of our members and ourselves during this difficult period, he said.
Z announced the indefinite postponement of the ABSA Cup uarter-finals scheduled for this weekend.
“Please refer to the subject above after receiving guidelines from the Ministry of Health, we regret to inform you that the Cup uarter-finals are postponed to a date to be communicated. In view of the current situation in the country vis a vis the coronavirus we are unable to go forward with the ABSA Cup as public events of this magnitude are no longer tenable,” read the circular to clubs. football is now big business and has to be seen as an equal business partner with the corporate world.”
Nkole said the strategy would be premised on the undeniable fact that football was a national unifier which had the most following of all social interventions in Zambia.
“Currently, FAZ has only two technical sponsors in MTN and Supersport in the communication and broadcast realms,’’ he said
There was a need to expand that technical sponsorship base to cover various other fields such as the beverage, hospitality, travel and information technology fields.
Nkole said the kit supply agreement for all national teams would be studied and reviewed in its entirety such that the national teams were dressed by the top clothing brands in the world based on Zambia’s hard-earned position in African football.