Premier League awards lose be-Mobile

The Botswana’s next premier league awards ceremony, 2015/2016, if it takes place at all, will carry neither the be-Mobile prefix or branding banners following this week’s Botswana Telecommunication Limited (BTCL) decision to stop its sponsorship.

The BTCL sponsors the Botswana Premier League (BPL) under their beMOBILE brand.  The announcement was made through a press release this week following a stormy series of events besetting the BPL offices. The BPL   has been under siege lately due to court cases over defaulting players, maladministration and suspension of   office staff. 

“We have   further taken a position not to sponsor the 2015-2016 beMOBILE Premiership Awards ceremony as we believe that there is no celebratory mood amid the current mishaps befalling local football,” a statement from BTCL reads.

Moreover, the Telecommunications Company said it will honour its contractual commitment, which includes disbursing undisputed title winners and individual award prize money, as soon as the BFA furnishes them with the official written confirmation of the 2015-16 season title and individual prize winners.

Meanwhile, the statement added that the BTCL management has recently made an evaluation on the sponsorship and has drawn the BFA  to a number of issues which include among others an in-depth reflection on the association and its structures to instil back some integrity and corporate governance into the   sponsorship asset.

“The BFA and BPL must wrap up the 2015-16 season, and deliver on their contractual obligations, including among others furnishing the title sponsor with end of the season report and audited financial accounts for the sponsorship funds.”  The statement reads and further makes assurance that, “As the title sponsor, our wish is for sanity to prevail once again to our beloved football.”