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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
CASTLE Lager have bounced back as the main sponsors of the regional Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) Senior Men Cup after pledging their commitment during Tuesday’s sponsorship signing ceremony.The function was held in South Africa, venue for this year’s Cosafa Cup which runs from May 17 to 30. The region also clinched another sponsorship deal with Power Horse.

Castle Lager has a rich history with the Cosafa senior competition having been inaugural sponsors of the event from 1997 until their initial contract ended in 2007.

They had become synonymous with the event and their return will cement that relationship with the aim of helping football in the region grow to greater heights.

“We’re thrilled to have Castle Lager back on board as a brand partner for our flagship competition, the Cosafa Cup. The Castle Lager brand is well known across Southern Africa and they will be popular partners for the tournament to be staged in South Africa in 2015. We’ve always valued their partnership over many years of our association with them and look forward to not only another fine event with Castle Lager on board for 2015, but also into the future as well,” Cosafa president Suketu Patel told the region’s official website, cosafa.com.

The Cosafa president also welcomed on board their new partner, energy drink Power Horse, which was founded in 2004 with its presence in more than 50 countries worldwide.

“We welcome Power Horse as our new partners for this year and have been impressed by their commitment to the game on the continent. They’ve shown a lot of energy in the way they have entered the football space and they’re a welcome addition to our sponsorship stable.

We hope to enjoy their support for many more years to come,” Patel said.

The Cosafa Cup 2015 draw was conducted in February and Zimbabwe, set to field Under-23s, was drawn together with Tanzania, Lesotho and Namibia in group A. Winners of the group are set to clash with holders of the cup, Zambia in the quarterfinals.

Angola and Comoros Islands pulled out of this year’s tournament. They have since been replaced by African giants Ghana and Tanzania.
Cosafa Castle Cup draw

Group A: Namibia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Tanzania

Group B: Seychelles, Madagascar, Mauritius, Swaziland

Quarter-final draw: Ghana v Group B Winners; South Africa v Botswana; Zambia v Group A Winners; Mozambique v Malawi