As President-elect Peter Mutharika takes oath in Blantyre today, Mighty Wanderers have said they look forward to his pledge to revert the Soche Stadium project to the club.
During a rally he addressed at Njamba Freedom Park in Blantyre in August ahead of the September 16 General Election, Mutharika reiterated his stance that once elected into office, the stadiums being constructed in Soche and Zingwangwa townships in Blantyre, would be given to the Nomads and FCB Nyasa Bullets, respectively.
This was after the outgoing administration said the facilities would not be given to the domestic football giants because they are private entities and it since renamed the projects Soche and Zingwangwa.
In an interview on Thursday, Wanderers board secretary Chancy Gondwe said as a club, they are excited with the prospect of owning the stadium based on the President-elect’s assurance.
He said: “As Wanderers Football Club, we welcome the President-elect’s decision to revert the stadium project to the club. This is fantastic news for our players, our legendary supporters, and the future of Malawian football.
“Our immediate focus is not on the politics of the past, but on the future opportunities this presents. A home stadium is vital for our financial sustainability, fan experience, and youth development.”
Gondwe said they are eager to work with the government “to make this a reality and build a home worthy of the Nomads family”.
Bullets acting chief executive officer Albert Chigoga promised to revert on the matter, but had not done so at press time yesterday.
On his part, Ministry of Youth and Sports spokesperson Macmillan Mwale said the Wanderers Stadium project is at 80 percent completion level and the contractor is continuing with the works.
“As for the Zingwangwa project meant for Bullets, the contractor requested to terminate the contract and the ministry is in the process of procuring another contractor,” he said.
The Bullets project is currently at five percent.
Mutharika ordered the construction of the two stadiums during his first term in 2019 in appreciation of their contribution towards the development of football in the country.
In an exclusive interview with Weekend Nation last year, Mutharika faulted government for its decision that the stadiums should not be given to the two teams.
He said: “Each government has its own policies. I wanted the stadiums to belong to the two teams, that was my policy.
“But they [government] decided to change that, I don’t know for whatever reason. Obviously, they have the right since they are in control, but I think it’s probably wrong.
“I am surprised. But governments do construct all sorts of structures for all sorts of people, including private organisations. So, I don’t know the rationale [and] the philosophy behind it, but that’s their wisdom.
“We’ll see what arrangements we can make with the teams. But the most important thing is to complete the stadiums because if we are to develop sports, there is need to have good infrastructure. That’s the most important thing, not politics.”
During that interview, Mutharika also lamented the delay of the projects.
In the 2025/26 National Budget, the Soche project was allocated K2 billion.
The stadium meant for Bullets is is located near Moneymen along Chikwawa Road and was initially estimated to cost K3.8 billion while the Nomads one was pegged at K3.6 billion.
