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Playing it safe

 

 

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has sought clarification from CAF on whether the protests in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will not be a security threat to Be Forward Wanderers.

The Nomads are scheduled to travel to the DRC for their Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League preliminary round first leg tie against Association Sportive (AS) Vita during the weekend of February 9-11.

BBC and Al Jazeera yesterday reported that at least six people have been killed in widespread protests in the DRC.

DRC police arrest protesters in the capital Kinshasa where AS Vita are based

The protesters are demanding that President Joseph Kabila—whose term of office expired more than a year ago—should step down.

A spokesperson for the UN mission in the country said about 50 people were injured in Sunday’s clashes and that dozens had been arrested.

FAM acting competitions manager Casper Jangale yesterday said they were aware of the situation in the DRC and they have since written CAF on the matter.

“There have been disturbing developments in the DRC and we have written CAF seeking clarification on the situation and they will advise us accordingly,” he said.

Nomads general secretary Mike Butao also said they are following the events in DRC with keen interest.

“We expect FAM to get the assurances for us from CAF as regards our safety,” he said.

According to the BBC report, police used tear gas to disperse protesters in Kinshasa, where UN peacekeepers have been deployed.

Similar demonstrations three weeks ago led to a number of deaths.

Jean-Baptise Sondji, a former minister, was quoted by AFP saying he witnessed the death of a 16-year-old girl outside a church in the Kitambo area of the capital.

“An armoured car passed in front of the church. They began firing live bullets, I protected myself… a girl who was at the left side door of the church was hit,” he said.

The widespread marches had been called for by the country’s Catholic Church, which appealed for a large but peaceful demonstration.

Meanwhile, AS Vita have intensified their preparations for the match against the Nomads by lining up some friendly matches.

At the weekend they thumped FC Nord 5-0 while last week they beat their rivals TP Mazembe 5-1.

On their part, Wanderers have also played two strength-testing matches. They lost 1-0 to Mozambican Mocambola League champions UD Songo before thrashing Masters Security Services 4-0 on Saturday. n

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