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Sikhumbuzo Moyo  Acting Sports Editor
DELTA Beverages and the Premier Soccer League are yet to sign a contract renewal deal despite assurances by the beverage manufacturing company that negotiations would be concluded before the end of the year. Delta Beverages marketing manager Patricia Murambinda told Chronicle in an interview on the sidelines of the Castle Lager Soccer Stars banquet in Harare last month that the whole process would be concluded before the end of the year.

Maxen Karombo, Delta Corporation’s executive marketing director in his speech during the same function said:
“We remain football’s best friend and indeed for many sports in Zimbabwe.

“It is therefore not debatable that Delta Beverages is the number one supporter of sport in Zimbabwe.”

“An unfortunate sense of entitlement, gross miscalculation of the value of the game and an insatiable thirst for fights are the main nagging issues that have discouraged Delta Beverages and held back many potential sponsors from the game.

“Despite this setback, Delta Beverages leadership is committed to sponsoring football and remains hopeful that we will soon find common ground with the league’s leadership in crafting a new deal.”

The three year sponsorship package ended soon after the banquet.
Highly placed sources privy to the contract renewal talks told Chronicle Sport that Delta Beverages, who sponsored the league in the last three years through their Castle Lager brand, asked the league to come up with a budget of $1 million, an indication that the sponsorship package would probably increase by $400 000 per year.

PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele said: “Everyone is still on holiday at the moment so we can only come up with a position after that”.

Efforts to get a comment from the Delta Beverages marketing manager Murambinda were in vain as she was said to be on holiday.
Her mobile number continued to ring unanswered.

Impeccable sources said while there was no doubt that the giant beverages manufacturing company would renew their marriage with the league, there were still some sticking points on how the $1 million would be spent with the league suggesting a change of the soccer stars selection system.

“The league wants to reduce the number to just one Player of the Year and his two runners up but the sponsors are having none of that, they still want to stick to their traditional 11 players.

“Some guys have suggested that the entire $1 million should be channelled towards clubs prize money with the sponsors taking care of the other expenses,” said the source.

The 11 soccer stars, the referees and the Coach of the Year gobbled over $30 000 in prize money, outside other expenses like hotel and transport charges while winners of the league, Dynamos, received $70 000, a figure that has been described in some quarters as paltry.

“According to my understanding the $1 million annual package will be reviewed upwards every year for three years,” said the well placed source who asked not to be named because of company’s code of conduct.