ABDALLAH Murenzi, the interim President of Rayon Sports, has said that he is confident the club’s relationship with its partners will get back to normal. Murenzi oozed confidence in a statement on Monday after Rayon returned to the negotiation table with their main sponsor, Skol Brewery Ltd, as the Blues seek for a new deal. Rayon Sports’ transitional interim, also known as normalisation committee, was set up last week and will serve for a 30-day period. “We are back to the negotiation table and both parties are open to ideas and willing to work with each other with a view of sustaining the existing partnerships,” reads part of the statement. Nine-time champions Rayon and Skol entered their sponsorship deal in May 2014 on a three-year contract before it was extended by five years in 2017. Under the current agreement, Skol sponsors the club to a tune of Rwf66 million every year, up from Rwf47 million of the first deal. However, since early this year, Rayon have been demanding an improved deal with a Rwf300 million proposal, which Skol did not agree to. It was reported, in March, that the club had suspended the partnership, threatening that they were close to sealing a bigger offer from Skol’s main competitor – Bralirwa. Skol estimates that the company has splashed out over Rwf500 million on Rayon since the start of their partnership six years ago. On top of the annual sponsorship package, Skol also provides the club with a training facility and accommodation hostels to players.
