Turbo King to take over league sponsorship

TURBO KING, a product of Bralirwa will take over sponsorship brand name of the 2013/14 National Football League which gets underway on September 21.

Thursday, September 12, 2013
Police striker JacquesTuyisenge (L) tries to beat off a challenge from SCKiyovu's Fiston Nyarugeta in a league match last season. Times Sport / File.

TURBO KING, a product of Bralirwa will take over sponsorship brand name of the 2013/14 National Football League which gets underway on September 21. Bralirwa has been sponsoring the league under their brand Primus but unlike in football, the brand has made a big impact in the music industry as it has exposed potential talents in the annual Primus Guma Guma Super Star. The Rwanda Football Federation (Ferwafa) chairman Celestin Ntagungira confirmed the development yesterday stating that though sponsorship talks have not been concluded, next season’s league will be named under Turbo King. "The talks between Ferwafa and Bralirwa about Turbo King taking the league’s brand name are positive, however, we are yet to agree on the fee, but we are hopeful on reaching an agreement before the season begins,” said Ntagungira. A few months back, Bralirwa’s Managing Director Jonathan Hall stated that Ferwafa and the brewery were in early stages of negotiations, but, like Ntagungira, never gave away much in terms of the length and the amount involved in the new deal. In 2012, Bralirwa Ltd injected Rwf160 million into the league for one season The sponsorship package covered the 2012/13 national football league, with 47 per cent of the amount directly benefiting clubs through prize money and participation fees with an aim of improving the standard of local football. Bralirwa has been a key stakeholder in developing Rwandan football since becoming the first brand sponsor of the national league during the 2004/05 season before pulling out under unclear circumstances a year later. But the two parties re-entered into a new three-year partnership valued at Rwf335m to sponsor the 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons.