Mbada commits to football DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER . . . Mbada Diamonds corporate services executive George Manyaya (right) addresses a media conference in Harare yesterday while flanked by PSL competitions manager Elisha Mandireva at a function where the 2014 Mbada Diamonds Cup was launched
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER . . . Mbada Diamonds corporate services executive George Manyaya (right) addresses a media conference in Harare yesterday while flanked by PSL competitions manager Elisha Mandireva at a function where the 2014 Mbada Diamonds Cup was launched

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER . . . Mbada Diamonds corporate services executive George Manyaya (right) addresses a media conference in Harare yesterday while flanked by PSL competitions manager Elisha Mandireva at a function where the 2014 Mbada Diamonds Cup was launched

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
Mbada Diamonds have reaffirmed their commitment to domestic football by insisting that the Mbada Diamonds Cup will continue to be on the radar of the domestic top-flight football for the foreseeable future despite challenges posed by the tough economic environment in the country. After months of speculation on the fate of the tournament that traditionally brings the curtain down on the local season, Mbada Diamonds yesterday came out clearly and maintained that there was never a doubt that the competition, dubbed the “The people’s Tournament’’. was never on the verge of being scrapped.

What has only changed, the diamond miners said, was the format of the 2014 edition, which will now be competed for by the teams that will finish in the Top Four at the end of the Castle Lager League championship race.

That development is set to add to spice to the championship title race, which as has been the case over the last four seasons, is heading to the wire, with two-time Mbada Diamonds Cup kings and Premiership champions Dynamos just two points ahead of ZPC Kariba at the top of the log table.

There are, however, six more games to go in the Premiership race which is scheduled to finish on November 23 after which the Mbada Diamonds Cup will explode into life with the semi-final matches and the grand final. Despite the number of games being reduced, Mbada Diamonds ensured there would be “something in it for everyone’’ by deciding to grant the other 12 Premiership teams that will finish from fifth to 16th positions — a $10 000 administrative cheque each as part of the $250 000 total package.

In unveiling the package for this year’s edition, Mbada Diamonds corporate services executive George Manyaya told a packed media conference that his company would remain committed to ensuring the tournament takes place as part of their mission which is that of “Harnessing Diamonds for the people’’.

Manyaya said Mbada Diamonds had also been humbled by the goodwill they had received from the local football family and added that the company would also advocate for the $1 entry charges for the fans that will watch the matches.

“There has been a lot of speculation in the mainstream media and on social media related to the hosting of this year’s Mbada Diamonds Cup and by aid of this media conference we seek to announce and confirm the correct position in terms of the 2014 Mbada Diamonds Cup.

“Mbada Diamonds remains committed to its social responsibility programmes and this year the Mbada Diamonds Cup is a big part of the cocktail of our programmes that we roll out year in and year out to strengthen the bond that binds us with communities in which we operate.

“As a responsible corporate citizen, we have never been shy to identify ourselves with the communities where we operate in and we have always believed that football is a big part of who we are as a nation and that is why as and when we have been able to extend our hand to boost the national game we have not hesitated to do so and since we plunged into a marriage with our football three years ago, we are proud to say that we have been a big part of its soul.

“As a company, in just three years, we have made a big impact in terms of changing the face of our football and we have been humbled by the goodwill messages that we have received from all sectors of our national game, pronouncing the appreciation of the part we have played so far,’’ Manyaya said.

Manyaya also noted that Mbada Diamonds, who also provide playing kits, transport and accommodation to the teams, had scaled new heights in terms of domestic football sponsorship.
“We have pushed the boundaries of what was deemed to be the margins through which our football sponsorship could only be discussed, never extended beyond those boundaries, and we believe that we have created a foundation on which future sponsorship packages can be negotiated from.

“We have religiously invested in our representatives in the CAF Confederation Cup, offering them a helping hand in terms of a healthy sponsorship package, hoping that once we do that, the teams will be able to represent our beautiful country without carrying the punishing weight that comes with worrying about the costs of taking part in such an adventure’’.

Manyaya said although they had tried to assist the country’s representatives in the Confederation Cup, they could not be faulted for the teams’ failure on the continental stage.
“Sadly, we never created a continental club champion from this country through our subsidies but that was our mission and we feel that we can’t be the ones who should be blamed because the clubs failed to take another huge step forward,” said Manyaya. “We have had a good dance with football and we can tell you that it’s something that we have enjoyed a lot.

“We are concentrating on balancing between our efforts in enhancing our operational capacity and efficiency as well as fulfilling our normal CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) investment thrust.

“As you may be aware, the current environment poses its operational challenges, which have affected us a corporate and cumulatively our stakeholders. We take this opportunity to thank our stakeholders for standing by us because without them, we would not be where we are today.

“As previously noted, our strategic thrust for 2014 is to heavily invest into mining of deep seated conglomerate and Kimberlitic material, which requires an extensive capital outlay. As a result we embarked on major cost-cutting initiatives that have seen us reducing budgets in all facets.

“It is against this background that the 2014 edition of the Mbada Diamonds Cup comes in a different but more exciting format which we believe will make a big impact on the standard of the competition.” Manyaya also revealed that his company had also explored the idea of having just a one-off match, in similar fashion to the TM Pick n Pay Challenge Cup, and hand $150 000 to the winners but that would have contradicted their all-inclusive approach in the way the mine conducts its business. Premier Soccer League marketing and ICT manager Rodwell Thabe said the top-flight body would, in close consultation with their broadcast partners SuperSport and Mbada Diamonds, decide on the dates and venues of the matches.

“The Castle Lager League programme should be ending on 23 November and the Mbada Diamonds should kick off any time after that. The PSL is committed to give its sponsors as much mileage as possible and we will decide with the sponsors and our broadcast partners whether to have a double header of semi-finals or one semi-final on a Saturday and another on a Sunday,’’ Thabe said.

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