beMOBILE announces P30m Premier League deal

Boitumelo Khutsafalo | Friday September 5, 2014 12:43

Friends of football: beMOBILE has renewed its sponsorship of the Premier league for a further 3 years after a P30 million deal. Botswana Premier League chairperson, Mike Molefe (left) accept a cheque from BTC's Kaelo Radira while BFA president, Tebogo Sebego (right) looks on PIC: TSELE TSEBETSAME

The league is already in its fourth week though it begun without a sponsor as the two parties were still locked in drawn-out negotiations.

BeMOBILE has sponsored the league for the past six seasons.

“You will bear with us for the delay in concluding this agreement, but maybe if we had not exercised patience, we would be announcing much lower figures today,” Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC) secretary, Kaelo Radira said during the announcement ceremony in Gaborone yesterday. BTC sponsors the league through its subsidiary, beMOBILE.

Radira said BTC is committed to give back to the citizens of this country. He said their aim is to take local football to international standards. He said the prize money breakdown and other products associated with the sponsorship will be communicated in due course. The winners in the past six seasons have been pocketing P1 million. BPL chairman, Mokganedi Molefe said finding sponsorship in a small country like Botswana will always be a challenge. “The process that we have just finished has been difficult,” he said. He stated that contrary to what has been reported elsewhere, the league was never in danger of failing to get a sponsor for the entire season.

He said during the negotiations, both parties had to understand where they were coming from and what they wanted. Molefe stated that their deal with broadcast sponsors, Botswana Television (Btv) is in its last season and they will engage the station soon. Prior to be MOBILE’s arrival, the league was sponsored by business rival, Mascom who now sponsor the Top 8 tournament.

Botswana Football Association (BFA) president, Tebogo Sebego was happy with the conclusion of the deal between BPL and be MOBILE. He said as the football leadership has always wanted to commercialise the game. He said beMOBILE has been a good partner and share the vision that the football leadership has. “It has been a good six years and be MOBILE is a partner that has ambitions,” he added.

BeMOBILE came on board in 2009 after the Munhumutapa saga and splashed P15 for three seasons. The two parties renewed their relationship in 2011 for a further three years. In the 2011 deal, the mobile phone network service provider increased the sponsorship to P24 million. The deal ended in July.