Jessica Motaung explains why Chiefs chose Kappa

The announcement was made last Thursday, with Motaung having jetted out to Italy to conclude the deal at the headquarters. 

It’s a reunion of two brands that worked closely together between 1989 to 1996. 

“Both of us are winning in the deal, that’s what we realised as well. Football is Kappa’s heritage. Yes, they’ve built a very good lifestyle side of their business, but if you look at their teams there’s a deep football heritage. That was important for us, someone who understands where we want to go from a football product to making sure our players have the best,” Motaung told Sports Nights Live host Andile Ncube on Monday. 

“We also wanted a partner that understood the value of Kaizer Chiefs and see that we are also going to take them further in the football space because of our support base. The key thing is that Kappa have a very strong distribution network locally, accessibility for our product. That is very critical to make sure every Chiefs supporter can get their hands on the product.” 

Although she did not disclose the figures, she said this was a beneficial agreement for the Glamour Boys. 

“There’s a very substantial financial contribution, which every sponsor does. Let’s just say it’s an extensively lucrative deal structured in such a unique way, one that can change the trajectory of how kit deals are done.” Motaung added. 

Chiefs parted ways with Nike after 22 years and their current jersey will be the last, with Kappa taking over from the 2023/24 season. 

“Look, all of us are evolving and we definitely have looked at where we want to go and this was the decision to make,” said Motaung of the relationship ending. 

“The design process [with Kappa] has certainly started, in fact, part of my travelling there [Italy] to conclude the deal was also to look at some of the proposed designs. We are obviously still in the finalisation steps, but very excited.

They will be innovative, but at the same time remembering the history of where we come from. What I’ve loved is the changes Kappa has made and the progressive way they are looking at doing our kit.”