Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has received a timely boost after Farmers Organisation Limited (FOL) committed to pump K14.5 million into man-of-the-match awards for the forthcoming TNM Super League season.
FOL pumped in K4.5 million to cater for 72 games last season.
The development comes after Sulom entered into partnership with Kwenzy Buses to transport referees during the 2023 season.
FOL National Sales and Marketing Manager Ronald Chilumpha said they were swayed by the mileage the company got as a result of last year’s mid-of-the-season deal.
“We only sponsored 72 games last season because we started in the middle of the season but the response from our customers was huge, hence the commitment to renew the deal.
“We want to help the country export a lot of players because most of the players who are voted man of the match are good players,” he said.
Chilumpha said the sponsorship will be reviewed at the end of the season to determine the next course of action.
Sulom President Tiya Somba Banda, who is also seeking another term of office, said clinching two deals in a week has nothing to do with campaign.
“All I am doing is serving the football fraternity. I cannot say all the strides we are making. This is just my noble job that I was entrusted with.
We would like to thank Farmers Organisation Limited for the sponsorship hike and this will go a long way in helping develop the game of football in our league,” Banda said.
Following the agreement, FOL will be giving K40,000 and miniature to man-of-the-match winner, up from K30,000 last season.
It means the company will sponsor 280 matches in the league.
On Monday, Sulom unveiled its partnership with Kwezy Buses, which will enable match officials (referees, match commissioners and referees’ assessors) to travel for matches during intercity assignments between Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
Peter Fote is a Sports Journalist with huge experience in radio and Television reporting, production and presentation. He once worked with Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and is currently working for Times Media Group.