Football gets a boost from GSM operators

As Lone Star, Liberia's national football team, campaigns for qualification in the 2010 World Cup/Nations Cup, two of the country's four mobile-phone operators are striving to outdo each other in sponsorship efforts.

The competition began with Lonestar Communication's decision to foot the bill for the team's German coach for the next twelve months, agreeing to pay Coach Tony Hey a monthly salary of US$10,000. The company then launched the Lone Star Fund on May 22, aimed at mobilizing support for the team's 2010 campaign, and has since donated US$280,000 to sponsor matches against Algeria and Senegal.

These game sponsorships were presumably prompted by Comium Services' sponsorship of the Liberia/Gambia match on June 1. Comium donated US$80,000 for the home match, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

As part of the match's promotional campaign, Comium was awarded the right to fix gate fees. For US$50, VIP stand tickets were distributed along with a Nokia 1100 mobile phone, a Comium SIM card and an additional $10 recharge card. The Around the VIP stand tickets were sold for US$20 and given out with a SIM card and $10 worth of call credit. These SIM cards qualified subscribers for a forthcoming raffle draw for two houses, the first of which will be awarded on July 26.

Lonestar has been operating in Liberia since 1996, while Comium began offering its services in 2006.