Crucial Bantu, Matlama tie joins rival insurers

NTHAKO MAJORO

MASERU – Winners between Bantu and Matlama in tomorrow’s crucial league match will not only increase one of the two teams’ chances of winning the league title but will also boost them financially.

This is because sponsors of both teams – Metropolitan Lesotho and Alliance Insurance – have pledged a sum of M50 000 for the winners.

Metropolitan Lesotho are official sponsors of Bantu while Alliance finance Matlama. The two insurance giants announced their unprecedented commitment during a joint press conference which was held at Bambatha Tṡita Sports Arena in Maseru on Tuesday.

Premier League Management Committee (PLMC) chairman Ikarabele Sello said the two rival insurance companies were making a significant contribution towards the development of local football.

“We are proud that the two competing insurance companies have today decided to come together to improve our football,” said Sello.

He appealed to other local companies to also follow suit and invest in the development of football as the two are doing.

He added: “Football is an important commodity which we are working hard to grow. Our main purpose is, of course, to work hard towards achieving that goal which is why you see other corporates coming on board now.”

Metropolitan’s Sepinare Lenkoe said they agreed to partner with their rivals to give the Bantu-Matlama match the hype and motivation it needed owing to the magnitude of their Saturday league clash.

“We agreed to partner with our competitors owing to the magnitude of the upcoming game and approached the PLMC with our proposal,” said Lenkoe.

He added: “The main purpose is to give back to the community, apart from the fact that we are already involved sports. We see this as a right platform to motivate our teams.”

Metropolitan are not only the official sponsors of Bantu but also finance the national under-20 football team and the volleyball league, among others.

Alliance Insurance’s Makhozi Foko said they found it imperative to motivate one of their sponsored teams (Matlama) when they face Bantu in such a decisive league encounter.

“We have found it befitting to support and motivate Matlama who are in the race to win the league title, especially now that they are playing against a big team like Bantu,” said Foko.

“This is one reason why we chose to give this game the hype it needs. In addition, our main aim is to plough back to the community for their unwavering support over the years.”

Alliance Insurance are also official sponsors of Lioli and LCS FC along with some local cyclists and certain netball competitions, among others.

Matlama are in pole position on the 14-team Econet Premier League log table after collecting 56 points from 23 matches, while Bantu lie on the second spot with 51 points, from the same number of games.