Former Premier Soccer League (PSL) marketing guru Peter “Squire” Mancer will be buried on Thursday in Johannesburg.
Mancer, 67, died last week after a long battle with a lung illness. His funeral will take place at the Maronite Catholic Church in Woodmead, Sandton. “Mancer the Dancer”, as he was affectionately known, was on holiday in Dubai at the time of his death.
Tributes have been streaming in for the affable and likeable administrator and Diversity Management and Production boss. Mancer came to the fore in 2006 when the Telkom Knockout replaced the Coca-Cola Cup, but his biggest break was the following year in 2007 when the PSL acquired the R1.6-billion TV deal with pay-channel Supersport.
It was a groundbreaking broadcast deal that completely changed the landscape of local football. The same year, Squire and the team brought banking giant Absa on board as the sponsor of the league.
The Absa Premiership was then born, replacing Castle Lager as the PSL main sponsors.
From then, Squire never looked back and was to play a major role in the Nedbank Cup. He was also the brainchild behind the Carling Black Label Cup. The marketing stalwart was also the man behind the glitz and glamour of the PSL Awards, a huge red-carpet event in the South African entertainment calendar.
Squire’s colleague and PSL stakeholder relations executive Connie Motshumi said Mancer was like a father figure to staff members.
“He was the go-to person and was always available and ready to dish out advice. He was like a father, a friend, he got things done and was very generous with his time. He was always willing to share his knowledge, was very committed and very reliable,” said Motshumi.
“What stuck out about Squire is that he appreciated the investment of sponsors and made sure there was a return on investment for them. What a big loss and may he rest in peace.”
PSL chairman Irvin Khoza previosly said “Squire” was dependable: “We express our sincere condolences to the Mancer family. Your loss is indeed our loss. Together with you, we will miss the gentle giant – Mancer the Dancer.
“When I think about Squire, I think of pedigree, he was one of a kind. Dependable, tenacious, abundance of energy. His word was bankable.”
Former Banyana Banyana coach and Safa administrator Fran Hilton-Smith referred to Mancer as a very special man.
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