Current trend in sponsorship a positive sign for sports in the country - Khairy

The current trend of sponsors racing in to support local state and club teams is a positive development for sports in the country said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

Khairy said he was appalled by the bold move by corporate companies, including a cosmetics company, Vida Beauty Sdn Bhd owned by Datuk Seri Dr Hasmiza Othman or better known as Datuk Seri Dr Vida.

The company was reported to sponsor Kelantan to a tune of RM20 million. The ball started rolling when the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar announced his pledged to contribute RM50 million to club side Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT).

"In the case of Tuanku Sultan Ibrahim, he loves the state. In the case of Dr Vida, it was a business decision but a bold one.

Nevertheless, it is a positive sign because corporate companies are coming in, and that shows there is a strong value for football in the country," he told reporters after chairing a UMNO Youth exco meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre, here today.

He hoped more corporate companies would come forward to support football as well as other sports.