Pascalinah Kabi
MASERU — Since the kit sponsorship deal between the Lesotho Football Association (Lefa) and Basutoland Ink was announced last week the exact figures have been kept under wraps.
The parties have promised to “tell all” when the deal is officially launched sometime in October.
But the Sunday Express can reveal that apart from supplying kits to all national football teams Basutoland Ink, a local clothing firm, sweetened the deal by promising huge cash incentives for national soccer teams that qualify for any Fifa accredited tournament.
A senior Lefa official who has seen the agreement said Basutoland Ink has promised to give Likuena M5 million if it qualifies for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The five-year sponsorship deal also promises other generous cash incentives to other national soccer teams if they qualify for any Fifa accredited tournament.
That might sound like a very generous deal until you look at the history of our national soccer teams.
For Likuena to get its hands on the M5 million it would have to work miracles to break the jinx that has seen it fail to qualify for any of the previous Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup tournaments.
The only team that has qualified for a major competition is the Makoanyane XI which reached the Caf Under-20 tournament in 2004 and this year.
Basutoland Ink’s promises are therefore a challenge to the national teams to do well.
The targets are lofty but not entirely impossible.
Basutoland Ink marketing manager Karabo Maitin told the Sunday Express on Wednesday that they cannot reveal the details of the deal because “they want to build the momentum”.
“We are keeping everything under wraps because we want to keep Basotho in suspense and build the momentum until the launch in October,” Maitin said.
Basutoland Ink director Bokang Nkhekhe was also evasive when asked about for the full details of the deal.
“Where do you get that information?” Nkhekhe asked.
“I can’t give you any information that you come here looking for it. We told you at the press conference that we will tell you all the information at the launch by end of October. You can speculate all you want,” he said.
Nkhekhe could not confirm or deny that they promised to give Likuena M5 million if they qualify for the World Cup.
“Whether it is true or not, it’s too early to talk about this because it’s not about what they will get but the whole package,” he said.
“It’s not only about the apparel, the whole package will be revealed at the launch come end of October,” Nkhekhe said.