Panafrican News Agency October 2, 2000

Nairobi, Kenya

South African Breweries or SAB has launched a cup to be contested by Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ghana in a bid to uplift football standards in East Africa.

An initial three-year contract has just been signed b@#%$en SAB and the football associations in the four countries.

The first tournament is due to kick off in Nairobi 25 October.

The company has provided about 57,700 US dollars for the Castle Lager Cup prize kitty, making the tournament the richest in eastern Africa.

The winner would receive about 19,000 dollars, while the first runner up will carry home about 15,000 dollars, the second runner-up will win about 13,000 US dollars and a consolation prize of about 10,000 dollars will be given to the fourth placed team.

As an incentive, the participating teams will receive about 7,000 dollars per match played and each player will earn 26 US dollars per day for tournament's duration. SAB will also foot the participating teams' accommodation and travelling expenses.

The brewing giant will also provide casual wear, playing, and training kit for the players and officials and tournament and practice balls.

To encourage the best media coverage in terms of objectivity and content, a prize of 641 dollars will be given to the best reporter and photographer.

SAB's East and Central African operations director, Daniel Niemandt, said the tournament marks the dawn of a new era in the development of East African football.

The cup is modelled on SAB's popular Confederation of Southern African Football Associations, launched in 1997.

East African football authorities have hailed the generous move by SAB as a step in the right direction for the region's flagging soccer standards.

"Regional soccer standards have fallen because of lack of competitive tournaments. We cannot develop soccer in isolation. The inclusion of Ghana will help us gauge the level of our soccer standards," Maina Kariuki, chairman of the Kenya Football Federation, said.

He called on the other companies and organisations to emulate SAB's example for the development of the sport in the region.

The president of the Federation of Uganda Football, Dennis Obua, an international player during the 1970s, has been quoted in the current issue of the East African newspaper as hailing the move as the much needed shot in the arm for the region's soccer.

The standard of soccer in the eastern African region has witnessed a steady decline in the last two decades.

Except Gor Mahia of Kenya, no soccer club has won a continental cup. Gor Mahia won the CAF cup in 1987 when they beat Tunisia's Esperance.

There have been very few occasions when any of the three nations has taken part in the African Cup of Nations, and none at all in the Olympic Games or the World Cup.