Windhoek General Administrators, (WGA) a subsidiary of MTC through its MTC Maris brand, yesterday unveiled the football tournament with the biggest purse of N$1, 5 million in an all-stakes playing spirit.

The MTC Maris Cup will be contested by the16 football clubs in the Debmarine Premiership, who will be competing for a N$1.5 million prize money – making it the biggest prized football tournament in Namibian history.  

The competition kicks off on 25 January 2025 for the round of 16, followed by the quarter-finals slated for 1 and 2 February, the semi-finals on 15 and 16 February and the final penciled in for 1 March.

“As an avid investor in national sport development in the country, MTC through WGA, are proud to announce the biggest prized tournament in Namibia, the MTC Maris Cup,” said Tim Ekandjo MTC’s chief human capital, corporate affairs and marketing officer.

“The tournament will serve as a warm-up competition for the teams before the next season of the league commences, while concurrently creating awareness and promoting the newly launched MTC Mobile money service named MTC Maris, a product of Windhoek General Administrators (WGA) – a subsidiary of MTC,” said Ekandjo.

The tournament will be played on a knockout basis, and the participating teams will play each other based on the previous seasons log standings. 

Describing the prize format as unique, Ekandjo highlighted that it is meant to ignite passion in the players knowing well that the winning team will take away the huge windfall. 

“The competition will see the team that wins the tournament taking the whole N$1.5 million prize money. However, we will assist each participation team with N$30 000 preparation fee. Other prizes are the Golden Boot and Player of the Tournament with each player receiving N$20 000. The team that best promote MTC Maris service will receive N$30 000, and six fans who will create the best MTC Maris video will receive N$5 000 each.

The sport enthusiasts attending the tournament will be allowed free entrance given that they register for Maris using the code *140*682#.

Namibia Football Association (NFA) president Robert Shimooshili expressed gratitude to MTC for its continued support to sport, particularly football. 

“We would like to express our deepest gratitude to MTC for your unwavering commitment to the development of Namibian football. Your generous sponsorship of the MTC Maris Cup is a testament to your dedication to our sport and your belief in the potential of our players,” he said. 

“The MTC Maris Cup is a landmark event for Namibian football. It promises to be an exciting and competitive tournament that will display the skills and passion of our local players. This sponsorship comes at a crucial time when our nation yearns for the return of football to our stadiums. The MTC Maris Cup will not only rekindle the excitement of the beautiful game but will also provide our national team players with a platform to hone their skills and prepare for future challenges.”