MTC, NPL to negotiate sponsorship 'soon'

Mobile phone operator MTC will soon enter into negotiations with the Namibia Premier League (NPL) to determine if they will continue their sponsorship of the country’s elite league next season. Their latest three-year contract, which was signed ahead of the 2013/2014 season, will expire at the end of this season. With just three months left, this means that negotiations might be rushed, especially after MTC spokesman Tim Ekandjo confirmed that the discussions had not yet started. “The parties haven't sat down yet to negotiate,” he told Namibian Sun on Monday. “They (The NPL) have already requested a meeting to present their new proposal and we will meet in due course,” he added. But Ekandjo was reluctant to be drawn into a discussion as to whether MTC was happy with its association with the NPL given that the league has been struggling to draw crowds to matches. “Whether it will continue or not is premature to speculate at this point,” he said. MTC has a 14-year association with Namibia’s top league, which started as part of a ‘football consortium’ alongside First National Bank and Namibia Breweries. Over the years, the company has invested more than N$69 million, with the last contract amounting to N$40.5 million over three years. At the moment the prize money for the league winners is N$1 million. In addition to being league sponsors, MTC further sponsors N$750 000 for the clubs’ administration fees. HECTOR MAWONGA