Khoza applauds his sons for Orlando Pirates’ Amstel deal

Orlando Pirates chair 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 the beer brand as their new sponsor at a whirlwind ceremony of glitz and glamour at Orlando Stadium on Wednesday.

A-listers of the music industry Sjava and Bucie entertained the audience that included several Pirates legends including 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 we share with Amstel. The first is providing experience and the second is maintaining legacies.

“Amstel, I can tell you, this club is strong on loyalty. If you look at our sponsorships, they’ve gone past 30 years — 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 important for us to share the platform with a team 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 itself with Pirates because it “shares similar values” with the Soweto giants. They hope the partnership will run beyond the initial three years.

“We value the same things and we believe valuing the same things will allow us to have a long-term relationship,” Quaye said.

“This partnership is an 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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