Khoza applauds sons for Amstel deal

Orlando Pirates chairman Irvin “Iron Duke” Khoza says the club’s sponsorship deal with Amstel was based on the experience and strong brand legacies of the two entities.

Pirates announced Amstel as their new sponsor at a ceremony that was a whirlwind of glitz and glamour at Orlando Stadium yesterday.

A-listers of the music industry, Sjava and Bucie, entertained the audience that included several Pirates legends like Edward “Magents” Motale and Happy Jele.

Khoza congratulated his sons, Mpumi and Nkosana, for brokering the deal with the Dutch brewery giant. The club’s previous beer sponsor was Carling Black Label.

“There are two elements that we are sharing between ourselves and Amstel... providing experience and maintaining legacies. Amstel, I can tell you, this club is strong on loyalty... if you look at all our sponsorships, they’ve gone past 30 years now... with Adidas, Vodacom, we’ve been together for 30 years.

“Without history, tradition and culture, you can’t be a brand. This brand has stood the test of time, and that’s why it’s very important for us to share the platform with a team that was born in 1870 – that’s Amstel – because they are also strong on legacy and experience.”

Heineken Beverages marketing director Andrea Quaye said Amstel opted to associate themselves with Pirates because they “share similar values” with the Soweto giants, and hoped the partnership would run beyond the initial three years. “We value the same things and we believe valuing the same things will allow us to have a really long-term relationship,” Quaye said.

“This partnership is a really important step for us into local football. Beer and football have the same role in society, which is about connecting people, and it’s also about creating experiences and bringing joy and happiness to people.”

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