CASTLE Lager Renews Sponsorship of the COSAFA Cup

Kenya’s national soccer team, Harambee Stars, will be among the 14 teams participating in the 14th edition of the 2013 Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA CUP) slated for July 6th-21st in Zambia.

Stars, a member of the Council for East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA), will be making their maiden appearance in the Southern Africa tournament following an invitation from the region’s governing body, COSAFA.

Speaking during the announcement on renewal of sponsorship of the COSAFA Cup, Mr. David Minja, the Worthmore Category Marketing Manager, Africa SAB Miller said, “It gives us great pleasure and honor to be back on this tournament. The COSAFA Cup will be an event where quality rises to the top, a place where, national teams will have a chance to showcase their quality in football talent whilst making their nations proud.”

Among the teams who will be participating in the Southern Africa football spectacle is defending champions Zimbabwe who will be joined by hosts Zambia, 3-time champions South Africa and Angola, as well as Mozambique and Malawi, all of whom have been given byes to the quarterfinals.
Kenya will start their campaign in the group stages where they have been pooled in Group B alongside Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Group A features Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Mauritius and Seychelles.

Kenya Football Federation (FKF), Chairman, Mr. Sam Nyamweya, welcomed the move to involve Kenya in the COSAFA CUP saying the tournament will offer the country a perfect opportunity to play international teams. “We are prepared to take on the big boys from the Southern Africa region. This tournament will not only be good for Kenyan football but also for the players to test themselves against teams from the Southern region,” said Mr. Nyamweya.

“Castle Lager has been involved in the COSAFA Cup for over 10 years bringing the Southern African football lovers together to enjoy the perfect football moments and we look forward to our partnership unearthing new football heroes in the beautiful game,” noted Mr. Minja.

“We hope that this tournament will inspire the players who take to the field to reach even greater heights and to become household names through the length and breadth of the continent,” he added.

The COSAFA CUP is an annual tournament for teams from Southern Africa organized by COSAFA. The tournament, which makes a comeback after a three-year absence, will be sponsored by Castle Lager who have for a long time been synonymous with professional soccer as the sponsor of the COSAFA Castle Cup since its inception in 1997.
The brand’s involvement in football spans across many facets, with continental as well as country involvement that dates back to a period of over 50 years through various country leagues like Zimbabwe, South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Lesotho as well as regional properties like the CECAFA in East Africa.

This year’s tournament will be hosted in 3 cities in Zambia with the first match pitting Equatorial Guinea and Mauritius at Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka. The final will be played at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on the 20th of July.

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