Minister to plead with TNM
Minister of Labour, Youth, Sports and Manpower Development Henry Mussa says he plans to meet TNM management to lobby them to reconsider their decision to withdraw Super League sponsorship.
Mussa said in an interview yesterday that plans were already underway within his ministry to engage TNM on the matter.
“The decision came as a shock because consultations within my ministry to understand the whole issue before we could engage TNM and the announcement on Tuesday came as a shock.
“Nevertheless, I am personally meeting TNM management within the week to try and persuade them to reconsider their position. I am on it,” said the minister.
But the integrated ICT and mobile network service provider’s senior manager responsible for public relations, Akossa Mphepo, on Wednesday refused to comment on the issue.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu yesterday described TNM’s withdrawal as “a bombshell”.
He said: “Together with the minister, we are trying to see how best we can salvage the situation. In fact, we were already planning to meet TNM, but it [the pull out] took as by surprise.”
Former Sulom president Henry ‘Kaka’ Chibowa, who was part of the successful negotiation for the sponsorship 11 years ago, said: “My heart bleeds when I look at the energy and effort we made to secure and sustain the sponsorship.
“This is gross carelessness through football politics. That is what I can see. Otherwise, TNM remained a serious loyal corporate citizen.
“We needed to skirt around the issue of sponsorship with regard to distinguishing what is ethically right, wrong and ethical dilemma. Good negotiations along these lines, would have yielded good results.”
