By Kini Nsom & Nformi Sonde kinsai
Cameroon's foremost brewing company, Les Brasseries Du Cameroun, has renewed its commitment to continue to give a new kiss of life to Cameroon football.
Iya and Sarra exchanging agreements
This commitment was the nitty-gritty of a partnership agreement the company signed with Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel last June 22.
Thus, the mineral water component of the company, known as "Source Tangui" joins other brands like "33 Export" in sponsoring Cameroon football in all its ramifications. Both parties sealed the deal in a solemn ceremony attended by the Indomitable Lions Captain, Rigobert Song Bahanag and the Lions' goalkeeper trainer, Thomas Nkono among others.
Speaking at the occasion, the representative of the General Manager of Les Brasseries Du Cameroun, Guillame Sarra, said the company is citizen-orientated. He described football as a game that garners national cohesion and should be supported at all costs. As a citizen's company, he remarked, Les Brasseries Du Cameroun will continue to sponsor football in Cameroon.
He said the Source Tangui component was joining the sponsorship of the Lions because consumers have given them a lot of support.Sarra said "33 Export" has remained a number one sponsor of Cameroon football, noting that anybody who consumes the company's product is indirectly sponsoring football.
He observed that Les Brasseries Football School in Douala where many soccer talents have been produced is a glaring testimony that it is the main sponsor of the game.He said they are providing sponsorship to soccer in Cameroon with the aim of seeing spectacular results. This makes the agreement harbour undertones of a genuine marriage of convenience between both parties.
The agreement entails sponsorship of the football in all aspects in terms of financial and material support.For his part, FECAFOOT President, Mr. Iya Mohammed, showered praises on the company for almost making itself the life wire of Cameroon football. To him, the agreement is a good omen to the Indomitable Lions in particular and other components of Cameroon football in general.
Crsoss-Section od Brasseries Du Cameroun officials
He said the substance of the agreement that stands at more than FCFA 175 million a year plus other material benefits from Les Brasseries. Going by him, the company remains a source of hope for players and officials of the Indomitable Lions. The agreement, he said, will also bring succour to the maintenance of sports infrastructure in the country.
Iya Mohammed said Les Brasseries Du Cameroun has continued to stand tall as the number one supporter of football, recalling that they also signed a sponsorship agreement in 2000. To him, it is because of this support that Cameroon football has been going places. He said world ratings put Cameroon as the 13th best football nation.
He hoped that with more support from Les Brasseries, Cameroon would be rated in the second position in 2010.The FECAFOOT boss thanked Les Brasseries for producing many talents in football through its football school. Going by him, the Brasseries football school marked a new dawn for the professionalism of football in Cameroon. He invited other companies to emulate FECAFOOT's example and give a boast to the game of soccer in the country.
In an interview with The Post, the Regional Manager of Les Brasseries Du Cameroun for the Southwest Province, Mr. Daniel Tchakounang, said the agreement was not unprecedented. He said the company was only respecting its tradition of shouldering its social responsibility as a citizen's outfit. He said Les Brasseries not only sponsor football but also help to boast budding musical talents.
While further illustrating its commitment as the number one football supporter, Tchakounang cited Song Bahanag, Wome Nlend, Geremy Njitap, Samuel Eto'o Fils and so on, as soccer talents born out of Les Brasseries Football School in Douala.
According to him, the Brasseries FECAFOOT partnership is difficult to be only measured in financial terms. He said the agreement also provides that Les Brasseries will be adding more money to the national team each time the lions pluck a victory as they gun for the African Cup of Nations and the World Cup tournament in 2010.
Speaking to the press, Song Bahanag expressed gratitude to Les Brasseries for always standing behind the Indomitable Lions. He said he did not have enough vocabulary to describe what the company has done to the National Team in particular and Cameroon in general.
The FECAFOOT/Brasseries agreement equally transcends the boundaries of football. It envelopes the brewery's commitment to promote sports in Cameroon. By dint of the agreement, the company will provide its mineral water, Source Tangui, to all football teams from training sessions to the end of the tournament concerned.
After pledging enormous sponsorship in the agreement, Les Brasseries authorities are eager to see the Indomitable Lions improve tremendously in its performance in the various competitions. Thus Les Brasseries will be giving more support to the Indomitable Lions and expect them to harvest more victories in their various campaigns.
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