Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs have surprisingly ended their 23-year-old deal with American sportswear apparel group Nike and rekindled their relationship with Italian brand Kappa.
Kaizer Chiefs, who are looking to reclaim their glory days said they had penned a five-year contract with Kappa from the 2023/24 season – in a deal that will see the brand become their technical sponsor.
“We are excited to team up with Kappa once again, a brand with which Kaizer Chiefs set new records and established themselves as trendsetters in African football in the early 1990s. Kappa, like Kaizer Chiefs, is a unique brand of style and class and one of the key players in the global football kit space. Kappa have had great partnerships with some of the world’s leading football clubs, as well as a number of local teams over the years,” says Kaizer Chiefs marketing and commercial director, Jessica Motaung.
Kappa previously sponsored the Arthur Zwane coached team from 1989 until 1996.
Michael Joseph, CEO of Kappa South Africa, said the two brands are going to rekindle their romance of the 1990s.
“The signing of this partnership with Kaizer Chiefs has been a target of our company since we reignited the Kappa Brand in South Africa in 2010. This partnership is in perfect alignment with our ambition and continuous goals to continue to make Kappa the largest sports brand in Africa. We are thrilled to be once again partnering with a Club like Kaizer Chiefs, whose passion and drive in all aspects matches that of our brand,” he said.
Kaizer Chiefs adorning a Kappa kit will be an unfamiliar sight to many of its younger fans who have only known Nike as the club’s technical sponsor.
Motaung hailed the more than two decades’ old partnership with Nike.
“It is important to thank Nike for the partnership since 2000. It is uncommon for partnerships to last for over 20 years, and we are grateful for the opportunity to have enjoyed a relationship with one of the world’s leading sports brands,” she says.
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