Players welcome welfare fund
Super League players have described Football Association of Malawi’s (FAM) plans to set up players welfare fund as a positive step in improving their miserable lives.
The players’ reaction comes after FAM president Walter Nyamilandu’s passionate speech on the pending fund during the Super League awards gala on Thursday in Blantyre.
“I feel sorry when I meet a player and he begs for K1 000 (about $1.4). It pains to learn that a player is injured, but can’t access medication because he is broke. It hurts me when a player dies and there is no coffin,” Nyamilandu said.
The FAM leader said the fund, which is expected to start next season, will be bankrolled by gate collections.
“It is pathetic to see players suffering when a lot of money is generated through gate collections. From next season, I want the players to enjoy the fruits of their labour,” he said.
Civo United captain Emmanuel Zoya said the setting up of the fund will be a major breakthrough in efforts to improve lives of the players.
“The truth is that players live miserably because we get poor salaries. I believe that the fund will help us to have better living standards,” he said.
On his part, Mafco captain Zasha Nong’oneza said the Fund will help improve the lives of players, especially after they have retired.
He asked FAM to ensure that the fund does not only service players when they are injured or sick.
“I think they can make it more effective if they make resources in the fund accessible for current and retired players to get soft loans,” he said.
Bullets skipper Fischer Kondowe said the project should have been established long time ago, but insisted it is not too late.
“I am happy that football authorities have realised that the most important asset in football is a player. I believe that most financial problems which we face will be alleviated,” he said.
Super League of Malawi president Innocent Botomani said they are still working on modalities of how the fund will be managed.
“We are still at planning level. We will announce later how the fund will be operating,” he said.
Botomani said they agreed that 10 percent of the gate collections should be channelled to the Player Welfare Fund. n
