Nyasa Big Bullets will now be officially called FCB Nyasa Bullets following a K525 million a three-year sponsorship deal with First Capital Bank (FCB).

FCB will be pumping K175 million annually in exchange for the club’s naming rights.

Bullets players wear their new kit branded by their sponsor, FCB logo

Speaking during the signing of the deal at Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre last evening, the bank’s chief executive officer Spiro Georgopoulos said Nyasa Manufacturing Company will remain owners of the club while FCB will be the official sponsor for the entire period of the contract.

He said they have decided to sponsor football at elite level because they believe there is an opportunity to conquer Africa through the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League.

“We recognise that Bullets have won all major titles in the domestic league and it is time to bring Africa glory home,” Georgopoulos explained.

“From humble beginnings in Blantyre in 1995 and having a branch in Ndirande Township, which has always been home for Bullets and the bank, today FCB is in other countries in Africa, namely Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mauritius and Mozambique. Together with Bullets, we will put Malawi on the map through success in shared goals.”

He said the club’s traditional colours of red and white shall be maintained, but the bank will be allowed to brand all the club and affiliates’ physical properties such as buses, clubhouses, stadium, perimeter boards during matches, all merchandise and digital assets including websites and social media pages.

Backdrop banners for media conferences, all publications, radio and television programmes and promotional campaigns will as well bear the FCB brand.

The FCB logo will appear on the front of team shirts and other branded regalia for senior team, reserves side, youth team and women’s team. This will apply to all the team’s officials, training and away kits.

The FCB CEO said football is in the bank’s DNA and the sponsorship is the manifestation of bank’s mission, values and tagline ‘Belief comes First’.”

“We believe in Bullets, we believe in Malawi and we believe in complementing government’s efforts in developing football in Malawi,” he said.

“As such, FCB has been sponsoring football at grass roots level through the Under 20 league for more than 15 years and now we are engaging an extra gear in our effort to develop football through the Bullets sponsorship.”

Bullets president Konrad Buckle said they were proud to have found a futuristic partner in this bank, where belief comes first.

He said: “It’s a phenomenal task and challenge to run a big club like Bullets and we are proud to have this bank as an official sponsor.

 “We welcome FCB to the Bullets family. This partnership will not only help Bullets fulfil its mission of putting Malawi football on the map but also help the bank grow tremendously. We say there are 16 teams in the Super League but there is only one team in Malawi and that is FCB Nyasa Bullets, which has over four million supporters.”

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu and newly-elected Super League of Malawi president Fleetwood Haiya, who is also Bullets vice-president, described the deal as an eye-opener on how Malawi football should be commercialised and professionalised.

Minister of Youth and Sports Uchizi Mkandawire, who was the guest of honour, said the partnership will complement government’s efforts of uplifting sports standard in the country.

The sponsorship signing ceremony was spiced up by a performance by urban musician Piksy and the Malawi Police Brass Band. Other notable figures were senior counsel Modecai Msisha, Ministry of Youth and Sports director of sports Jameson Ndalama, FAM vice-president Jabbar Alide, Malawi National Council of Sports acting executive Secretary Shephord Boma and Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda.

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