Nomads, masters in CAF competitions
With just a few games to wrap up the season, league leaders Be Forward Wanderers have registered for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League.
Rookies Masters Security have also joined the fray by joining the CAF Confederations Cup.
The two TNM Super League outfits beat the November 30 registration deadline, by filing the papers just before the closure yesterday.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) club licensing manager Casper Jangale confirmed processing the two team’s registration documents.
The Champions League is exclusive for the team that wins in any of CAF’s 52 members’ national leagues.
The Confederations Cup, on the other hand, is for teams that win national cups. In case they fail to do so, the teams that reached semi-finals can replace them.
Wanderers are just a step away from winning the league championship as they lead the table with 59 points from 26 games with a game in hand.
Their closest rivals, Nyasa Big Bullets, are second with 58 points from 27 points.
Silver Strikers, who already surrendered the title race as well as their earlier intention to join the Champions League, are on position three with 52 points from 27 games.
Wanderers acting chairperson Gift Mkandawire said their ambition to participate in the CAF Champions League was given a go-ahead by sponsors BeForward Limited.
“What is remaining was for us to win the league which we are confident we will do,” he said.
Masters Security, who are on potision 13 in the Super League, said they are ready to compete at CAF level.
The club’s general secretary Zacharia Nyirenda said: “We cannot join a competition without preparing for all the necessary conditions. We are fully prepared for the competition. There is nothing to worry about.”
FAM in October announced that clubs wishing to participate in CAF competitions will only be allowed to do so after depositing K15 million with the association.
Bullets, the last team to compete in CAF competition in 2014, were left with several fines ranging from failing to pay match commissioners and referees accommodation and allowances to late registration of players.
The responsibility of paying the fines is FAM’s since it is the mother body and vouches for the clubs. n
