Bantu get M1 million sponsorship increase

…as the club and Metropolitan Lesotho extend their partnership

NTHAKO MAJORO

MASERU – Lesotho champions Bantu have received a whopping M1 million increase from their partners, Metropolitan Lesotho. Metropolitan Lesotho and Bantu Football Club have announced the increment as the two renewed their technical partnership deal, which they dubbed strategic partnership, on an occasion that was held in Maseru on Monday this week through the Bantu Funeral Scheme, an additional benefit to the already existing partnership between the club and the insurance company.

The two announced that the partnership, which before was M2.3 million, would now see Bantu receiving M3.3 million for the next three years, starting from 2024 to 2026, with the Mafeteng-based side getting M1.1 million per season.

 “Bantu are the champions, as a matter of fact, and Metropolitan and Bantu agreed to extend the partnership from 2024 to 2026,” said Metropolitan Lesotho’s Acting Head of Retail Distribution, Motsieloa Nonyane.

“We have increased the partnership deal from M2.3 million in two years to M3.3 million.” Bantu President John Leuta said the partnership was crucial to the club since it was used for the team’s apparel. “We are happy to have renewed this partnership for three years, and of course it is crucial to the club since we mainly use it for Bantu FC’s apparel,” said Leuta.

He further said: “The club’s apparel is important because we have the commitment to be known countrywide and around the world.” Leuta further revealed that Bantu had about 45 000 supporters. Metropolitan Lesotho’s Lebohang Lekhanya said if all Bantu’s supporters could take advantage of the club’s funeral scheme, Bantu could benefit more from the same partnership.

He said on top of the partnership deal, the club would be getting M5 from each of the 45 000 supporters if they all paid their funeral plans monthly.

“If everybody pays their funeral scheme monthly, we take M5 back to the club from each of them,” said Lekhanya. “If that happens, Bantu would get about M2 700 every month.” The partnership between Bantu and Metropolitan Lesotho started in 2009.

Bantu have been dominating the domestic league for the past six seasons, winning league titles and cup competitions. They won the 2022–23 league title and the inaugural People’s Cup, both this year.

Nonyane said they wanted Bantu to compete in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League from now on and not only dictate terms domestically.

Leuta shared the same sentiments with Nonyane, saying that Bantu did not have competition in the country. “We should have been playing against our competitors (in the African continent) like Jwaneng Galaxy (of Botswana) in the CAF Champions League,” Leuta said.

This was after Bantu could not register for the ongoing CAF Champions League due to the unavailability of the country’s main sports ground, Setsoto Stadium. Setsoto Stadium was suspended by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) about two years ago because it did not meet international requirements.

Bantu could not afford to hire any stadium in the neighbouring country, South Africa, to host their matches like the national team, Likuena do.