Windhoek — Following a year's absence, the country's oldest and most sought-after football competition, the Namibia Football Association (NFA) Cup returns in a much grander and lucrative package this year, thanks to Bidvest Namibia.

Following protracted negotiations with several potential sponsors, the NFA under the stewardship of long-serving President John Muinjo, has finally pulled in another big fish with reliable reports doing the rounds that the association has struck a lucrative deal with Bidvest to take over the sponsorship of the traditional NFA Cup competition to be known as the Bidvest Namibia Cup.

Although details are sketchy at this stage, New Era Sports has it on good authority that participating teams will be the chief beneficiaries of the popular annual football bonanza with prize monies topping the one million dollar mark.

The NFA Cup is a competition played on the same principles as the traditional English FA Cup, which attracts all registered clubs, including non-league football clubs in England.

Unconfirmed reports say the competition could take the same route in Namibia this time around when it resumes this year after previous financial backers Leo pulled out of the sponsorship deal at the eleventh hour last term. Struggling coastal outfit Eleven Arrows are the defending champions after they ousted Civics by two unanswered goals in Walvis Bay in the last edition in 2010.

Incumbent Namibian champions Black Africa won the inaugural edition of the NFA Cup - dispatching traditional rivals Orlando Pirates on penalties in 1990.