LFPC seeks financial support in football sponsorship

A seminar to this effect took place on Tuesday in Yaounde and a second is to follow in Douala today.

The Professional Football League has embarked on a campaign to vulgarise the fiscal incentives put in place by government to encourage companies to sponsor football activities.

A seminar to this effect took place on Tuesday July 21st at the La Falaise hotel in Yaounde and a second will follow today in Douala. Speaking during the seminar, the president of the Professional Football League, General Pierre Semengue said the League needs at least FCFA 15 billion every year to make professional football effective in Cameroon.

Whereas subventions from government and Fecafoot amount to only a little over one billion which is largely insufficient. He cited the case of Gabon where the league functions on a budget of FCFA 12 billion a year with only 14 clubs in the championship.

For professional football to be effective, clubs need to have befitting training ground, handsome salaries for players and trainers as well as the availability of good stadiums and other amenities as provision of health care. Whereas according to the General, no club in Cameroon is able to do that singlehandedly. Hence the need for companies to step in and give a helping hand.

According to the representative from the taxation department, the incentives are contained in the law of 2013 o the financing of professional football which extends fiscal exoneration for sponsorship offers by companies from 0.5 to 5 per cent of their budget.

It also offers free registration of accords signed with sports organisations as well as the exoneration of the land on tax on sports infrastructure and the land on which they are constructed.

The seminar also saw a presentation of the different platforms for sponsorship offered by the Professional League by the head of the marketing department, Richard Tong. The seminar was presided at by the director of high-level sports at the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, Blaise Omgbwa, representing the minister.