Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

THE PREMIER League Clubs Association (PLCA) has seen its pleas for emergency funding answered by the National Commercial Bank (NCB) Foundation which donated $8 million to the body yesterday.

The amount will be used to host a prize-giving ceremony and provide various other awards for this season's National Premier League. Last week, the PLCA saw an appeal to the Sports Development Foundation (SDF) for $10 million fall on deaf ears.

Two weeks prior to that, the body, which consists of representatives of the island's top-flight clubs, announced that it had severed ties with title sponsors Cash Plus, as the embattled company was unable to live up to contractual obligations.

$150 million deal

In September of last year, the newly-formed PLCA secured a three-year, $150 million deal with Cash Plus. However, with the institution being issued with a stop and desist order in December of last year, things went rapidly downhill.

Of the $50 million expected to be collected for the season, the PLCA received only $24 million, leaving it $26 million in the red. With an estimated $10 million needed for prize money and the NPL awards ceremony, PLCA chairman Edward Seaga announced that the organisation would have no choice but to scrap those affairs.

The chairman, who has indicated that the amount provided would be enough to conduct proceedings, was grateful for the intervention of the NCB Foundation.

"The NCB understands the importance of football to the nation and especially for the stability of those communities in need of stimulants for peace and hope," Seaga said in a release.

"We haven't finished all our negotiations in respect to the outstanding total, but we had put this as a priority," he said.

"We don't expect that we will need the full amount as there are only four games left and we have tightened our belts to cut some of the costs."