GSM Tanzania terminates sponsorship deal with TFF

Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) Vice President Athuman Nyamlani (right) posing for a photo with GSM Group’s director for investment, Hersi Said. PHOTO | FILE

By MAJUTO OMARY

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Dar es Salaam. GSM Group has terminated a sponsorship contract it signed with

Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) due to violation of some clauses.

On November 23, 2021, GSM Tanzania and TFF signed a sponsorship contract worth Sh2.1 billion, covering two Mainland Tanzania Premier League seasons.

The deal meant that GSM Group had become the competition’s co-sponsor along with the main sponsor, the National Bank of Commerce (NBC).

But the sponsorship did not go down well with Simba Sports Club who are a TFF member.

The Msimbazi Street giants refused to participate in the implementation of the deal on the ground that GSM is also the chief sponsor for their bitter rivals, Dar es Salaam Young Africans (Yanga).

All the other 15 clubs served the contract for only 77 days.

And, on Monday, February 7, 2022, GSM’s chief commercial officer Allan Chonjo said the company had reached an agreement with both TFF and Tanzania Mainland Premier League Board (TPLB) to rescind the contract.

He said they were aware that the decision will affect some of the clubs that had already started benefiting from their sponsorship package, noting however that there was no way the deal could proceed while some clauses were being violated.

“It has been a very difficult decision for us to take because we know some of the clubs depended on the funds that we have been disbursing as part of the package in the league. However, we had no option but to take the decision,” said Chonjo.

Meanwhile, Chonjo said on Monday that GSM Group’s chief executive officer Gharib Said Mohamed has also resigned from the position of chairman for a special committee that works to inspire Tanzanian fans to support the country’s national team, Taifa Stars.