By Andrew Warshaw
January 30 – South African football has been given a major boost to its damaged reputation on and off the pitch by signing a wide-ranging, five-year sponsorship deal with Nike.
The agreement will see the US sportswear giant design and develop kits for all nine men’s and women’s South African national teams as of February 1 as well as official match balls.
Nike replaces former kit supplier Puma, who dropped its association with the South African Football Association (SAFA) in October, reportedly after SAFA became embroiled in a match-fixing scandal surrounding a series of warm-up games ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
The new agreement, financial terms of which have not been announced, will see Nike produce a limited edition kit for the men’s senior team, Bafana Bafana, for the international friendly against Brazil in Johannesburg on March 5, along with all senior teams competing until the end of 2014. The 2015/16 kit will then be officially launched in November.
“This partnership signifies Nike’s deep commitment to support and advance South African football at all levels of the game, from the national team to grassroots football,” said Laurent Payre, general manager of Nike Africa. “We look forward to providing innovative product technology to help players reach their full potential, and to helping shape the future success of South African football.”
South Africa joins a Nike national team portfolio that includes Brazil, England, France, Netherlands, Portugal and the USA.
South Africa’s poor performances on the pitch and various scandals off it have been well chronicled. Danny Jordaan, the face of the 2010 World Cup and now SAFA President with a remit to put the game back on an even keel, said the Nike deal was a crucial part of that mission.
“This is a significant time for South African football as we embark on strengthening our structures especially across development and grassroots,” said Jordaan.
Coincidentally, in the ongoing battle for supremacy amongst major kit manufacturers, Puma announced this week it had reached a five-year sponsorship agreement with Arsenal from July – ending Nike’s 20-year association with the high-flying Premier League club.
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