The Carling Knockout and Carling Black Label Cup set to take South Africa by storm in 2023

South Africa’s Champion Beer, Carling Black Label, in partnership with the Premier Soccer League (PSL), officially launched the first edition of Carling Knockout Cup competition-a partnership that will once again put the power in the hands of our champion fans.

Carling Black Label has always been a key supporter of South African football, taking fan engagement to a whole new level since the introduction of the Carling Black Label Cup in 2011. Since then, the brand has strived to ensure that the voices of those championing the beautiful game are heard and that they are included in the game with innovations that reward them. 2023 is not going to be any different with the inaugural Carling Knockout and new format of the Carling Cup kicking off.

All 16 teams in the topflight of South African football will participate, as they battle it out to get their hands on the Carling Knockout trophy, which will set precedence for the new Carling Black Label Cup set to be played 6 January 2024 at Peter Mokaba Stadium.

The winners of the Carling Knockout tournament will face a Carling All-Star team selected by the fans in the new format of the Carling Black Label Cup, a spectacle that will bring both players and champion fans of all the clubs together.

Carling Black Label will empower the voice of the fans like never before, giving them an opportunity to put together the Carling All-Star team with players from the remaining 15 Premier Division clubs, excluding the 2023 Carling Knockout Champions, as well as the Diski Challenge sides. This affords fans a unique way to see their favourite stars playing together in one team.

Six of the players in the Carling All-Star team starting line-up will be from the Premiership clubs and five will be called up from the Diski Challenge sides. The Carling All-Star team will be coached by one of the 16 Premier Division coaches which will also be voted for by the champion fans. Fantasy soccer becomes a reality with the Carling Cup.

One of the most exciting parts about the Carling Knockout and Carling Cup will be the Fak’ iGoal Uzobona innovation. Loosely translated as Score a Goal & See the innovation is aimed at energising the game to produce earlier goals showcasing the very best of South African football flair. At the start of each match there will be 90 minutes and R90,000 on the clock, for each minute that passes R1,000 drops off with the potential prize money counting down to zero at the end of the match.

One champion fan that correctly predicts both the team and the minute of the first goal will win the money left on the clock. But that isn’t all; the team scoring the goal will also win the amount on the clock. The earlier the goal the more everyone wins, Fak’ iGoal Uzobona!

That’s not where it ends. Fans also have an incredible opportunity to vote for the man of the match during the game. The stellar players who win the man of the match will walk away with arguably the biggest MOTM cheque on the continent worth R100,000 at each match. Fans don’t even need to purchase a beer to participate in voting for the Man of the Match or for predicting the Fak’igoal Uzobona.

“At Carling Black Label, we have always made our intentions clear; we want to champion the game of football and most importantly empower the voices of our champion fans. The 2023 Carling Knockout and Carling Cup innovations are affording fans an opportunity to have an immersive tournament and matchday experience-whether they are watching from the stands or from the comfort of their own homes. Our commitment is always to our consumers who love having a voice when it comes to the beautiful game.”

“This is an exciting new space for us and we are pulling out all the stops to ensure the Champion fans love every moment. We want to empower our fans to have their voices heard like never before. This year fans have even more power by being able to vote for their Carling All-Star team, the coach of their team and the man-of-the-match at each match. We also believe in giving back to our fans so we have lots of prizes up for grabs whenever you buy Black Label or even just vote in the campaign. We’re also innovating with Fak’ iGoal Uzobona, rewarding fans who know their stuff and keeping everyone on the edge of their seats,” says Carling Black Label brand director, Arné Rust.

Voting for the Carling All-Star team will open on 13 October until 21 December 2023. Our champion fans can vote for their favourite players by simply purchasing a selected 750ml or 500ml Carling Black Label, dialling *120*660# and following the on-screen prompts to start casting votes via USSD. Fans can also vote on the website; www.carlingblacklabelcup.co.za Voting for the Carling All-Stars will close on 20 December 2023. Ts&Cs apply, USSD 20c/20s

To stay up to date with any further announcements, fans should check the official brand website and social media pages:

Website: www.carlingblacklabelcup.co.za
Twitter: @blacklabelsa
Facebook: Carling Black Label
Instagram: @carlingblacklabel
Official Hashtag: #CarlingCup #CarlingKO