Accra, April 12, GNA - Sportnet Ghana Limited, dealers in general forms of sports wear has taken delivery of 500 pieces of replica jerseys of the senior national team, the Black Stars to be sold to soccer fans towards the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The company, according to its Chief Executive, Mr Daniel Asiedu Asare is expecting the same number of jerseys in the next six weeks to augment the current stock in order to make it available to interested fans.
The all-white jerseys have the logo of Puma, the official kit sponsors of the Black Stars embossed in front and back of it. The jerseys' also has the logo of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) embossed at the left side of the chest to indicate its authenticity.
Mr Asare who disclosed this to the media said he has received an official endorsement from the kit sponsors of the Black Stars, Puma, to market their products as well as the replica jerseys in the country. The backing from the kit sponsors makes Sportnet the official agent responsible for the marketing of the products in Ghana.
He said the arrival of the replica jerseys and its presence on the market would minimize the sale of fake jerseys in the system, since his products are of the highest quality and soccer fans will prefer them to the existing ones on the market.
Mr Asare said the jerseys have unique features which can easily be distinguished from the fake ones, with the printing of the logo of the FA and Puma.
Touching on how to clamp down on pirates in the system, he said his outfit would go onto the streets to negotiate with the dealers of the fake jerseys and motivate them with special packages to patronize the original ones.
He said the products would also be distributed across the ten regions of the country by accredited agents whose names and addresses will soon be made public.
Mr Asare said his company will liaise with the officials of the GFA to fashion out ways to market the products to the sporting public to ensure efficient delivery.
He said the company is also in link with some agents in Italy, Canada, USA, Netherlands and England and other countries so that Ghanaians living in those countries to contact the accredited agents for their companies.
The jerseys would officially be launched next week. 12 April 06
