Zifa seek long-term Umbro deal

Sport
ZIFA will meet this week to review the Umbro kit deal amid indications the national association is seeking a longer term technical supply deal that will take the Warriors through the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and beyond.

ZIFA will meet this week to review the Umbro kit deal amid indications the national association is seeking a longer term technical supply deal that will take the Warriors through the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and beyond.

WELLINGTON TONI SPORTS EDITOR

Umbro kitted the Warriors during the just-ended African Nations Championships (Chan) in which the national team finished fourth after reaching the semi-finals for the first time. The Warriors drew 0-0 against both Morocco and Uganda before beating Burkina Faso 1-0 to reach the last eight.

The Warriors then beat Mali in the quarter-finals 2-1 before they were ousted by eventual cup winners Libya. In the third-place play-off, the Warriors lost 1-0 to Nigeria.

For the deal, the Warriors were supplied with full training kits, including tracksuits and two playing kits while replicas were also being sold for a reasonable figure of $28 at Umbro’s Montague Gardens shop in Cape Town where the national team was based.

Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela on Friday said the national association was even looking at going to tender to get the best deal.

“The Zifa board will meet next week (this week) and review the deal, but we might also go to tender,” he said.

Zifa is looking at including the junior and women’s teams in the new deal.

Speaking during the launch of the kit deal in December last year, Umbro South Africa sales manager Donovan Bell said in case they continued their ties with the Warriors, the sponsorship would cascade down to women’s and youth teams as well as supporters’ regalia.

“We were approached by Zifa three months ago and for a full package you need to work on it six months before you seal a long-term deal. So at least for now we will sponsor the Warriors at the Chan and maybe we will take it up further from there to include the ladies and junior teams,” Bell said then.

“This sponsorship is good for the players so that they feel confident on and off the pitch in our material. The Warriors are a very big brand with a huge following not only in Zimbabwe, but even in South Africa as well.”

Since Italian sports apparel manufacturer Legea cut ties with the Warriors, Zifa has been struggling to secure a technical sponsor with a proposed deal with Puma also falling through. Zifa had apparently signed a five-year deal with Legea, but the national association called it off after it got no returns.

The Confederation of African Football, which is sponsored by Adidas, had offered to find technical suppliers for national teams, but with the Zimbabwe often failing to qualify for the grand stage — Afcon and the World Cup — returns could have been lower for the kit manufacturer.