MTN/PLE ‘MARRIAGE’ MADE IN HEAVEN!

My dearest readers ...

Like an over-aged hen which lifted its buttocks only to realise it had laid a golden egg, dearly departed Eswatini Football Association (EFA) president Philemon Mkhaliphi pranced around like a peacock at the launch of the E300 000 new MTN league sponsorship in 2002. Long-serving sponsors, Eswatini Beverages, had just withdrawn their Castle Lager sponsorship to the elite league. Mkhaliphi was overly-excited, describing the new partnership with MTN Eswatini as “lona ngumshado lomuhle futsi longeke uphele.” Nineteen years after Mkhaliphi made those immortal words, indeed the ‘marriage’ between MTN Eswatini and football seems to be truly made in heaven. Reports over the weekend suggest, the two parties (MTN Eswatini and Premier League of Eswatini), have agreed on a new three-year sponsorship. My green flies on the PLE wall tell me all that is left is to sign on the dotted line the sponsorship agreement and officially announce the new package.

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This is good news on many fronts. This country, football in particular, has every reason to celebrate such good news in the midst of the agony caused by the greatest enemy to humankind in the turn of the 21st century – the COVID-19 pandemic. This tasteless, odourless invisible enemy has caused us so much pain; stalled a lot of economic activity and generally caused irreparable damage to all sectors of society. Not only has a lot of sports been put on hold but some big tournaments like the richest competition in the land, the Ingwenyama Cup, the EswatiniTelecom Charity Cup and the magical EswatiniBank Cup have also been put on hold as the world wrestles with the invisible enemy, which has swallowed our friends and relatives with gay abandon.
It has been hellish and traumatic.

When a corporate giant like MTN Eswatini renews its vows with football, you have to sit down and appreciate such a gesture in the midst of the social ills, economic cesspit and political turbulence we are experiencing as a country. It is highly commendable.
It might be easy to simply describe this as a ‘foregone conclusion’ and that MTN Eswatini also benefits in terms of being a platform that conveys the football content in terms of air-time, data and the struggling live-streaming idea but there is a whole lot involved in a sponsorship deal of this nature. It cannot be a ‘foregone conclusion’ especially in this COVID-19 era, where there are no fans in the stadiums and the branding aspects are fundamentally compromised. New innovative ideas have to be put on the table to justify another E18 million sponsorship or more from the sponsors’ side. It is not cast in stone.

That’s why we ought to be very thankful to MTN Eswatini for its continued support to football in particular in sponsoring the league and also assisting the PLE office. The choice they have made is laudable. As the capo di dittu capi (boss of bosses) Premier Soccer League (PSL) Chairman, the all-too-powerful Dr Irvin Khoza said when GladAfrica were announced as sponsors of the National First Division league. “Today we are making a momentous announcement. GladAfrica is joining a club of drivers that are sponsors of football. We commend the leadership of GladAfrica for being visionaries and for having the foresight to understand the development of football in the country,” the ‘Iron Duke’ of South African football said.

sponsoring

In equal measure, we thank the Board of MTN Eswatini, management and staff for seeing it worth the while to continue sponsoring the country’s number one sport. We can’t thank them enough. We also applaud the PLE under the stewardship of Mark Carmichael for the ethical leadership during these tough times and keeping the fires burning. It has not been easy. It’s been a very challenging season but they have done well under the circumstances, especially the first year in office having assumed their positions on September 19, 2020. Carmichael and your merry men, may God continue to give you the wisdom of the biblical Solomon; the courage of Daniel in the Lion’s den and the faith of Esther before the king. Before I am accused of being a wanna-be pastor, let me once again thank MTN Eswatini for making the right call in renewing the football sponsorship for another three years. Yes, the dearly-departed Mkhaliphi, in his gravel weekend-was-hard voice, was right - “Lona ngumshado lomuhle futsi longeke uphele.”

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