FAZ is in the next few days expected to unveil a new kit supplier for the Zambia national soccer team, with little known Mafro Sports of Singapore as the company to take over from glamour giants Nike.
The deal is worth about US$200,000 for the next two to three years.
The agreement is a massive scale down from the dizzy heights of Nike who used to fork out no less than US$500,000 in what was the biggest ever Zambian sports wear partnership.
It is however a good leap as the federation has run out of equipment with the Africa Cup, Cosafa and World Cup qualifiers fast approaching.
Zambia has over the last 10 years been proudly dressed by Nike International. Nike and Adidas are jointly the biggest sports-wear and champion firms in the world.
Zambia won the Africa cup in 2012 with Nike apparel.
ZamFoot can exclusively reveal that FAZ has failed to lure back Nike and adidas while the other known brand like Under Armour, Puma, Kappa and Warrior have spurned overtures from the national soccer governing body.
The deal comes as a massive relief to FA who have completely run out of equipment following exhaustion of the remaining boxes of Nike equipment. the new kit may be unveiled as soon as May before games against Guinea Bissau and the Cosafa championship in Namibia.
Mafro Sports presently dresses league leaders Nkana.
The company is a team of ex-professionals, amateurs and coaches in football, basketball, boxing, track and other sports.
[Zambian football kickoff]
Go kamanga go, no relly bad no gud but wat cane we do.
I meant to say not
This new FaZ executive has been sleeping since they took over office. Completely nothing to write home about. I see failure ahead of us..
well done
Maf what? I thought Adidas or puma will come running! Not even underamour or Kappa are interested in chipopolo? It shows how unknown to the world the new executive is. This bane is a panic button. We could have licked our tail and go back begging to Nike than go to the next nations cup looking like a country from a war tone zone
Good move AK. One step at a time
This is rubbish and unacceptable.I expect this man to clean up the mess in FAZ and strengthen his administration not to have a repeat of stolen gate takings ,printing of fake supporters jerseys ,late travelling arrangements/visas and transparency in appointing of coaches which we all agree was wrong during the previous executive.The team of our caliber cannot afford to be dressed by cheap brand.If this is true then am vindicated when I said Kamanga cannot be any near to kalusha bwalya in as far as connections in fooball are concerned.I see us going 10 yrs backwards in terms of football(both display and qualification to tournaments), kit,quality friendlies etc.
Good move- Remember that FAZ still needs to clean up the messy image that it landed itself into before we can start thinking of ‘courting’ more marketeable and most sought after ‘suitors’ like, you can name the rest.
Clean what that’s the question?
Why do we want to justify inadequacy, we have a reputation to keep and as such you can’t justify a revenue loss of $300,000.00 its totally unacceptable and should not be condoned.
They have been in office for two months now have they told the nation of what they need to clean up?
Counterfeiting is a seriuos crime. You dont produce counterfeit jerseys and the brand owners should just waive you off!!!!????Mr ci Babadebade
I agree with you Zagwa. Unless someone thinks its just an issue of ‘nakopako fye’ shibile- these are patent issues baba and people invest in research and development to get to where they are. You don`t just wakeup with a pair of Nike brand and rush to China @mpangileniko iyiyine. Infact someone would have been arrested. Some people should wake up on this blog.
A team of our caliber to be dressed by a non entity .An afcon winner what a joke by the so called prominent business man. Zambia deserves to be dressed by a good brand.Mr kamanga as a successful businessman you are always clad in quality clothing and this speak of who you are.But now you downgrade our chipolopolo to the level of Nkana a poorly sponsored side.Mwayamba ukufilwa boss KALU is just connected.
The mess at football house cannot substantiate this move.Zambia is a big team I do agree with the issue of not having money to pay the foreign coach but not this one.This is total failure ………it is same as going to pivioty simwanza’s shop or any other shop in town and buy kit for chipolopolo because of the mess at football house at the expense of the teams reputation.
In fact the cry of a “mess” is just an excuse for mediocrity!They were talking of corruption,let them show us the evidence now that they are in charge!The guy(Kamanga) is an energy expert and all of a sudden some deluded Zambians thought that was the best qualification for being a football expert!Its like taking kalu to run ZESCO as the CEO!
This mafro sports they do not even have a website ,read below about another mafro sports based at NASDEC ,I don’t know whether this is its agency.
Mafro Sports Provides A-Z of sporting needs to our customers. That include Design and sales of sports appareals, sports development, sports marketing and sports events management.
We also customize sportwear to social, amature and professional clubs that make them look good and also ready to compute.
Mafro Sports
Rate this business
NEVER STOP
National Sports Development Centre (NASDEC) Lusaka, Lusaka, Zambia
Get Driving Directions
Listing by: Mahmoud Gomda
260967804433
Monday to Friday From 9am To 6pm
Saturday From 9am To 2pm
Yeah good deal, we move forward and don’t look back….
A nike deal that may have paid but it took years for Zambia recieave decent kit. They were wearing the same old kit over and over.
A deal is deal, Mafro Sports we will make you proud.
Ts a good development. T would hv been bad if umbro came thru nd signed a deal coz thy offer pathetic faded colours kits. #Zawa out, Mafro in.
Kamanga is headed for failure that is why he has been sleeping from the time he came into office we thought he was going to make serious and significant changes that is why we do not have a qualified coach for the national team someone with a caf A license you call them qualified i thought him having a degree was going to choose the best coach with a uefa pro like renard avram grant ,etc even lUSAKA dynamos have a young director with a uefa pro more qualified than all the coaches in zambia except kalusha ,you can have a degree and still be a fonteen .
There was a wrangle between Kalu’s faz & Nike.That’s why they pulled out.I guess the same wrangle made these other known suppliers like Puma,Addidas & Kappa refuse to be associated with faz.
Good move sleeping faz, now lets see who is useless between kalusha and kamanga.who in his right thinking can justify a loss of $300 000.where john, Anita and tc soccer man.
They backed a football admin failure!
Removing Kalu was a mistake and we will pay the price.A smooth handover after his third term would have helped!This is the guy(kamanga) who promised heaven on earth!How do we even think a guy who ran down a club to second division can bring any thing better than a well known football icon and global personality. Landeni kabili!You insulted Kalu and yet you bring mediocrity within a month of being in office.WE ARE WAITING FOR QUALITY FRIENDLIES NOW!
Mediocrity is having a FAZ executive that destroyed a $500,000 contract by allowing one of their members to undercut the sales of the Nike suppliers and causing the supplier to dissolve the contract.
Mediocrity is a FAZ executive that allowed the national team to go more than 1 year without a kit supplier contract in place and on top of that, allowed the stock of jerseys for the national team to dwindle.
Kalu and his executive are the mediocre ones. I’m not a fan of Kamanga, but at least he is trying to make the mess left behind work. Amos, stop being a Kalu cadre and look at things objectively. I’m not a Kamanga supporter, but I know for a fact that $200,000 is better than $0 which was what FAZ left behind
the fail has just started, wait we are in trouble
Mind you, we are still waiting for those promises, like sponsorship for referees, another cup competition, sponsorship for lower league teams. but then again i doubt if you can cruck it after failing to land a good deal for the national team kit.those of you who insulted kalusha, where are you.
What promises naimwe. The guy has been FAZ president less than 3 months and you are already asking for results. How long did it take your savior of Zambian football Kalu to get results. You guys need to get over yourselves
We should be ashamed of OURSELVES not to have a Zambian brand dressing National team. Who needs the ZAWA outfit? Is that what you call big brand? Come guys, we had Serios International exporting to the UK, made in Z A M B I A. Most babies mumbling were not born yet. Get weaned. Inferiority complex….
Lol…people here are FORGETTING one very ‘small’ fact-the Nike deal run out LAST YEAR!! When Kalu was at the helm! Unless FAZ was telling lies?! Where is Kalu’s deal?? Would it not have made sense for Kalu and his group to sign a bumper new deal to woo votes for the elections and yet they did not-why is that?? Let’s just not hero worship without looking at all the facts-we were told last year ati there are big companies ready to dress Chipolopolo,it was the old FAZ admin that said that,did they sign any deal? Months and months passed-zero,no deal!!!
Spot on!!!!These cadres are a shame to logic. Unfortunately, your Kalu is not coming back!!!!!
Please note that these well known sports wear sponsors do not want to be associated with corrupt administrations like that of Kalu.Kalu has caused all these problems and Kamanga has no option but to look for an alternative sponsor period!
Ma gonaa ati mafraa! surely even umbro could not accept $200,002 bid shame on you FAZ and whoever is gonna sign on this kit contract wil be held responsible just like the previous kalu led faz, Kamanga and your camp having a top brandkit helps with confidence(ichiwelaa) and steel for players to go and battle it out on the pitch .#umwelawapwa while the rest are moving forward Zambia is taking 100 backwards SMH.
Good move,those who want can still keep the zawa one. If that is had, follow kalu and leave us alone with our AK.kasengele you resigned but how come you’re blogging with a different name on a mission to insult Ak? You’re the one who went to the mads as you made our chipolopolo to were a kit from Shanghai chaina, an imitation of Nike, shame on you
This is better than buying kit from an individual owned shop moreover the said big kit suppliers are not interested to sign with us.
faz let’s be serious and maintain the integrity of the Zambian national team. Don’t forget that when the national team goes on the pitch they represent Zambia. You can not treat them as if they are playing for a club, in fact some clubs are have better kits than the national team. Ba Kamanga poseniko amano don’t ifyo mwitu sebanya.
Guys kamanga is a failure just look at his record as an administrate at kabwe warrios and power dynamos it leaves much to been desired yet you in trust such a person with a faz presdent what do you expect failure.the game against guinea bissau is around the corner other countries like nigeria,south Africa,Uganda,Rwana malawi to mention but few have anounce they friendly games but here in zambia we have not even secured friendly game are we moving in the right direction?under kamanga I don’t see zambian football going forward
Ever since he was elected faz presdent he has gone to sleep I was expecting to hear the appointment of a new coach,introducing another cup game like the BP top 8 mosi cup etc and the charles musonda sons playing for our nationa team but is quiet about all these issue and yet some people are even defending him its not about kalu but the development of zambian football
There is no issue here. A deal is better than no deal.
A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.
Allot of people too quick to judge kamanga. We must be fair to Kalu and Kamanga. Don’t go wishing failure for Kamanga.
Zambia was the only team in africa sponsored by nike. Nike does not retail in Zambia or very many places in africa.
It’s good if this company is Zambian, let’s go Zambian! This company can make and sell replica jerseys dirrectly to the people who want this, Zambians! They can recoup the 200 thousand and them some if they know what they are doing…
Puma and addidas, those big sponsors in africa. They will have to wait. Zambia is going Zambian!?!
Lets be serious guys, the former FAZ executive told us that Nike wanted to renew the deal but the were negotiating for the better package, they told us that the new deal could be Nike or any other global brand. Now from 500, 000 to 200, 000. Is it normal for those saying its better.
Zambia has gone back to the days of elsporto and diadola when we were ranked the waste dressed team in Africa.
Grand, have you not been paying attention. The Nike deal ended almost a year ago. Nike refused to deal with FAZ, because they had cleared one of their execs to sell replica chipolopolo jerseys without consulting Nike.
Mafro sports???? Nkana don’t look great… personally, I find Nike extremely dull – they have made a name for themselves with marketing but the jerseys look dull no innovation over the years just same old same old I’v never bought a Nike. With change there’s hope lets see- maybe mafro have a good afro?????
Ilamanikila. Donashano inchito all afternoon kulamanunufye.
How long are you going to sing the KALU failure song to justify mediocrity?You promised better alternatives…MAFRO is a minus.Even the kit my NKANA dons looks like it was tailored in Kamanga compound!
Lack of reasoning is believing that a man who failed to run a club can run a national association better!RB’s and his engineering has finally done the damage they missed in 2012!Mukose!Reality dawning on them!
Kamanga is bound to fail as predicted. Any small kit manufacturer to sponsor a big team like Chipolopolo should pay better than what big companies are willing to pay.
The whole issue here is about timing , its bad time to strike a deal. Let them qualify to the nations cup first then there should be companies who willbbe willing to sponsor them.It will be very risky for a company to sign with Faz when the team is not even in commanding position to qualify to Afcon . This little company is likely to cause alot of problems in future just like the time of El sporto
@positive thinking,
If Lusaka dynamo and power can sign with Umbro whats difficult chipolopolo to go the un known brand.
If Zimbabwe can sign with puma whats difficult.
Positive thinking you can’t see anything wrong with this.
Grand, I cant speak for Umbro or Zimbabwe. What I know or have read is that FAZ really messed up the deal with Nike and we are now at a point where it looks like other big kit manufacturers are not willing to do business with Zambia.
This is a sad development and is not optimum, but at least these guys are not sitting on their hands like the last administration. How do you go 1 year without a kit and continue to wear dwindling stock?
You can’t blame Kamanga without finding fault in Kalu and his admin. You can’t sit here and call these guys mediocre for running 50 meters instead of 100 when the last admin didn’t even want to show up for the race.
I don’t think there is anything wrong the mafro deal on surface. The only thing that i would say is how long the contract is….! 2 years maximum because it is important to keep our options open.
Mafro Sports. Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. You see. I have never heard of them. I thought Kamanga was supposed to be an upgrade. Really. If not Nike why not Puma, addidas. Corruption has started
This looks like an experiment…it could also be corruption…How was the tendering process done we where crying about transparency?
It is not true that all the sporting renowned brands have refused to sign with chipolopolo. are we at the same level with asante kotoko who signed the deal with mafro at 150,000? SHAME ON ALL KAMANGA’S BOOTLICKERS .
They are trying to justify the very things they condemned kalu about.No sports manufacturer is on record to have refused to talk to FAZ!Its all the usual rumour mongering to justify failure!
Don’t defend Kalu, because he sat on his behind for a whole year while the contract had expired with Nike. Some of you guys are just cadres, because you have no objectivity whatsoever.
Some of us have actually dealt with good leaders and managers, and it always better to make a decision than to not make one at all. Of all the good things that Kalu and his admin did for Zambian football, they also made some serious mistakes and errors and sitting on an expired Nike deal for a year is just ridiculous.
BRING BACK THE AFRICA CUP, MOSI LAGER BOSS TELLS KAMANGA
With a one year extension to the old deal, Mosi Lager has set new FAZ president Andrew Kamanga the challenge of bringing back the Africa Cup of Nations next year before the contract expires. Soccer legend Great Kalu became the first president to lead Zambia to Africa Cup glory in 2012 in Gabon. Kamanga can emulate the feat by leading Zambia to the second Africa Cup in 2017, also to be staged in Gabon. The Africa Cup finals in Gabon next year will also be Kamanga’s first ever.
Speaking after a one year extension of the FAZ and Zambian Breweries sponsorship deal, Mosi Lager boss Annabelle Degroot said: “My one request and challenge to you (Kamanga) is that you bring the (Africa) cup home again.”
Kamanga hailed the extension as a milestone for Zambian football but fell short of stating how much was involved. He has been a keen advocate of transparency and good corporate governance and before winning the FAZ presidency always demanded to have values of contracts revealed in the name of transparency. Whether FAZ will walk the talk of transparency and reveal the figures in the new deal remains to be seen. The Daily Mail Sports reported that the new deal is worth “a few millions” of Kwacha. But Zambian Football can reveal that the deal is worth between K400, 000 and K1million only. FAZ has remained mute on the figures while Zambian Breweries sources referred all queries to FAZ. – Zambian Football KICKOFF
We are also privy to the fact Kalu was actively talking to ADIDAS for a better deal than the NIKE one!In fact Kalu had reportedly cancelled his personal endorsement with NIKE to accommodate the deal with Chipolopolo because they could not do both.It is also a known fact that NIKE never wanted to upgrade our deal after being the African Champions!
It is also important to know when to make that same decision.Timing is important.Waiting for us to qualify would have given us some better options.If Lusaka Dynamos can be dressed by Umbro and yet the national team goes for a cheap option with no value at all and you call that good management decision!MAFRO does not even have a website.Trying to impress erroneously!
Mafro!!!! Even the name itself does not sound attractive sounds like an old jazz band. From Zambia national soccer team to Zambia football club(Zambia FC) thts wht tht jersey will make us look.#BwafyaSana
Ati negative thinking or positive thinking, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to say to a mafro deal.
Ati negative thinking or positive thinking, you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to say to NO mafro deal.
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