BB, Eagles charged with violent acts

The Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has charged Nyasa Big Bullets and Blue Eagles with failing to control the actions of their supporters and officials, respectively during their weekend games.

Quoting Article 21 of the league’s rules and regulations, Sulom vice-general secretary (vice-GS) Major Thoko Chazema said the People’s Team failed to control their supporters during Saturday’s Blantyre derby against Be Forward Wanderers at Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe.

The Sulom vice-GS said, similarly, the Malawi Police Service (MPS)-sponsored side, Eagles, failed to control the actions of its officials in their match against Moyale Barracks at Mzuzu Stadium on Sunday.

Bullets supporters are accused of pelting objects onto the pitch in protest against a disallowed goal which forced the referee Patrick Ngoleka to stop the match for 10 minutes.

Said Chazema: “Both teams have been charged and served and have been given 48 hours to respond and when they respond, we will convene disciplinary hearings.”

On Eagles, the Sulom vice-GS said one of their officials, Chimwemwe Chitedze, is accused of having thrown a tear-gas canister while some of their players allegedly attacked the officiating personnel.

“The allegation of attacking the match officials is yet to be proven though,” he said.

However, Bullets chief executive officer (CEO) Fleetwood Haiya yesterday said they were yet to receive any charges from Sulom “and we can only comment upon receipt of the same”.

But in a statement issued on Monday, the Bullets boss condemned the acts of violence that occurred at BNS.

“We appeal to those people who were involved, who claim to be our supporters, to stop this unsporting behaviour immediately.

“We understand that match officiation provoked and infuriated the supporters. We also understand the passion our supporters have for the team. However, acts of this nature cannot be tolerated under any circumstances,” reads part of the statement.

Haiya also said such behaviour goes against their ethos “of what we stand for as ‘The Peoples Team’, which among others, is love, peace and respect for others. It also tarnishes the reputation of the club and the millions of well-mannered supporters who make up the Nyasa Big Bullets family”.

He said the club will undertake a full investigation to identify the perpetrators in question and take appropriate action.

“We shall cooperate fully with law enforcement agencies and Sulom to ensure the perpetrators are brought to book. We urge anyone who has information about the perpetrators to contact the club immediately,” Haiya said.

He also said they have submitted a complaint report on the match officiation to Sulom and they expect feedback in due course.

On his part, Eagles GS Ulemu Kalua said much as they do not condone Chitedze’s acts, there is need for Sulom and the National Football Referees Association (NFRA) to act swiftly on the standards of officiation.

“The letter from Sulom has not reached me, but all this is happening because of poor officiation. The standards of officiation leave a lot to be desired and things are getting out of hand.

“Officiation is the cause of all this. Much as we condemn Chitedze’s behaviour, but it also has to be taken into consideration that he was provoked by the situation. Nevertheless, we regret whatever happened,” he said.

NFRA GS Chris Kalichelo said they were waiting for reports from relevant stakeholders to determine who was in the wrong.

“Tiwone kaye chatsitsa dzaye kuti njobvu ithyoke mnyanga [we need to establish what exactly happened]. Like in the Bingu [stadium] incident, was it the fans or the referees that were at fault?…that is what we need to look into in line with the laws of the game before determining the way forward,” he said. n