Ellina Mhlanga details how the team of Monomotapa has received US$50K from the local tobacco company Blend Value. She writes: "Blend Value Tobacco are the manufacturers of the Oya! brand, which they want to dominate the domestic market, and they have already announced that this is just the start of their big partnership with Zimbabwean football."
Source: AllAfrica
Zimbabwe: Sweet Kiss of Life - AllAfrica
August 31, 2009
Ellina Mhlanga
MONOMOTAPA
have received a major boost in their tough battle to turn around a
Champions League campaign that has gone off the rails with a local
tobacco company, Blend Value, injecting US$50 000 into their coffers
ahead of their showdown against Congolese giants TP Mazembe at Rufaro
tomorrow.
The cash injection by the company a new player in the
local tobacco industr is meant to boost morale among the Monomotapa
players and help them focus on their assignment against the former
African champions.
Monoz have lost two matches on the trot and
coach Rodwell Dhlakama has questioned the focus of his players on their
continental mission amid the unrest torched by problems over the
funding of an adventure that does not come cheap.
The Monomotapa
players staged a rebellion against their leadership, shortly after
their arrival from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they were
handed a 0-5 defeat by two-time African champions TP Mazembe.
That
big defeat followed a 1-3 defeat at the hands of Heartlands of Nigeria.
Dhlakama, whose boys now return to familiar home territory where they
have turned Rufaro into their fortress and won all their Champions
League games, believes his players have been distracted by the in-house
turmoil.
But, just when Monomotapa were beginning to feel that
they have been abandoned by the Zimbabweans, Blend Value have come
along to give them a big shot in the arm and try and boost the morale
of the players ahead of tomorrow's big match.
For, despite their
heavy defeats in their last two matches, Monomotapa know that if they
win their three home matches in the group, it could just be enough for
them to qualify for the semi-finals.
That huge task begins
tomorrow with this tough task against a team that has seemingly found
the going easy against Zimbabwean opposition and who, unlike
Monomotapa, have no financial problems and are bankrolled by one of the
wealthiest men on the continent.
Moise Katumbi Chabwe, the
billionaire businessman who owns TP Mazembe, is a wealthy man who has
promised his team US$250 000, to be shared among the 18 players and
their officials, should they beat Monomotapa at Rufaro tomorrow.
Katumbi is also a politician, being the Governor of Katanga province in the DRC, and has interests in mining and transport.
It
has always been his mission, since he took over as the owner of TP
Mazembe, to turn the Congolese giants into the champions of Africa and
he believes that this year, his team has its best chance.
Monomotapa
is a team owned by Harare businessmen Solomon Mugavazi and Lysias
Sibanda and, while they have tried their best and injected a fortune in
the team, they certainly don't have the kind of financial resources
that Katumbi has.
But Mugavazi and Sibanda certainly have
friends and, among the people they can call their partners, are the
directors of Blend Value Tobacco, who yesterday unveiled a US$50 000
package to help Monomotapa in their hour of need.
Blend Value
Tobacco are the manufacturers of the Oya! brand, which they want to
dominate the domestic market, and they have already announced that this
is just the start of their big partnership with Zimbabwean football.
Blend
Value director Tawanda Chitapi, a prominent Harare lawyer, said his
company decided to help Monomotapa because the Harare side was
representing the country and needed the help of everyone in their bid
to try and conquer the continent.
"We decided to help Monomotapa
so that they can sort out some of the challenges that they have been
facing of late," said Chitapi.
The Harare lawyer is also a
passionate football fan who has worked, mostly behind the scenes,
resolving some of the wrangles that have beset the national game.
"It's
important, in our small way, to play our part in the area of social
responsibility. "After reading about Monomotapa, and the challenges
they were facing with regard the need to raise money for their
campaign, we decided to partner Zifa and assist the team.
"We
did that because Monomotapa's match against TP Mazembe is a national
game and we decided to take care of some of the expenses that come with
the holding of such a big match.
"We now believe that, with our
help, the players can now concentrate on giving their best and our aim
is to continue sponsoring the team, depending on how things work out on
the weekend."
Monoz' director Mugavazi attended the ceremony, at Zifa House, where Blend Value unveiled their sponsorship package.
The
ceremony was also attended by Zifa chairman Wellington Nyatanga and
Premier Soccer League boss Tapuwa Matangaidze whose top-flight league
last week assisted Monomotapa by paying each players US$400.
That
helped in ending the stand-off between the Monomotapa players and their
leadership and the club, in turn, decided to lift the suspension that
had been imposed on skipper Mthulisi Maphosa, goalkeeper Godfrey
Mangove, defender Lucky Simango and striker Daniel Zokoto.
The
four were accused of being the ringleaders in the industrial action.
They have all since returned into the fold and should help Monomotapa
in their quest to beat TP Mazembe at Rufaro tomorrow.
Monomotapa
secretary-general David Makombe paid tribute to Blend Value for their
sponsorship package. "It is a very good development in the sense that
since we started participating in the Champions League, no one was
coming to help and we had to source for the resources on our own and
use our own funds," said Makombe.
"It makes us concentrate on
playing football and we now have confidence of where we are going and
we are very grateful for the support that has been given to us."
Club
captain, the inspirational Maphosa, said his boys had faced a lot of
challenges but, with friends like Blend Value, they could concentrate
on their game and they had the capacity to beat Mazembe.
"We
were facing a lot of problems and hopefully our problems are over,"
said Maphosa. Matangaidze hailed the move by Blend Value and said this
showed there was value in domestic football.
The PSL boss
challenged Monomotapa to turn their campaign around and make the
country and their sponsors proud with a morale-boosting win over
Mazembe tomorrow.
The Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters'
Association yesterday issued a rallying cry to the country's football
fans to come in their thousands and back the Monomotapa cause at Rufaro
tomorrow.
ZNSSA security chief Fortune Bgwoni also hailed Blend Value for leading the way in helping Monomotapa in their hour of need.
"What
is refreshing about Blend Value's support is that the company has come
at the right time, when Monomotapa's campaign was being threatened by
financial resources, to throw its full weight behind our champions,"
said Bgwoni.
"We believe that that the fans and players should
take note of these companies, which are putting their financial
resources into football, and support them in whatever way they can.
"If
Blend Value are the tobacco company that is sponsoring football, we
believe that football should also appreciate that support with the fans
choosing their products ahead of their competition which might not be
playing a part in the game.
"If BancABC are the bank that is
supporting football, we believe that the football community -- the
fans, the coaches, the players and the administrators -- should also
support that bank ahead of its competition when it comes to their
investments.
"The same goes for Nestle Zimbabwe and that is the
only way that we can safeguard our sponsors and, when we do that, teams
like Monomotapa will continue to get help and they can do far better in
the Champions League.
"The challenge is on Monomotapa to now put
their house in order and, if they were good enough to beat Etoile du
Sahel of Tunisia, then they should also be good enough to beat Mazembe
and give our football a reason to smile once again.
"So let's
all go to Rufaro on Saturday, and the game starts early at 2.30pm, and
support our boys --just the way they have been supported by Blend Value
-- and I can tell you that we can win the big match and bounce back."
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