Toti City sponsor Chow wants previous franchise name done away with

Lae Biscuit Company has warned that it will consider cutting its sponsorship of Toti City at the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Champions League if the tournament organisers keep referring to the club as Lae City Dwellers.
Sponsor Ian Chow was disappointed when he saw on the OFC website that the team were referred to as Lae City Dwellers after their draw (3-3) with Tahiti’s AS Tefana on Sunday.
“OFC continues to call the team Lae City Dwellers,” Chow said in an interview.
“They never came back to us about not allowing Toti because they say it’s ‘advertising’.
“It costs the company K120,000 to send them to New Caledonia.
“So why should the Lae Biscuit Company spend money on Toti City when the team is called by another name?
“What about the rights of the sponsors and owners? I suggested T-City or even Lae City as compromise for the Champions League.
“If this is unacceptable then I will consider restricting Toti City to playing in PNG only.
“I’d rather spend money in PNG sports then sending the team to go on a difficult and expensive pursuit of a championship.
“I said it before that I think it is waste of money to spend K400,000 to get to the Champions League finals and get nothing as runners-up.
“This is what we spent last year to get to Wellington.
“I want to make it clear that there is no team in PNG called the Lae City Dwellers.”
Chow said he had spoken with coach Peter Gunemba and Papua New Guinea Football Association president John Kapi Natto to help sort out the matter.
“We will see if OFC can accept T-City or Lae City,” Chow, who is also PNG Sports Foundation chairman, said.
“I refuse to accept the name Dwellers.”
Chow brushed aside speculation that the team would return home and not complete their remaining pool matches at the Champions League.
“They have to complete their matches, as I have already paid for everything,” he said.