Domestic football powerhouses Mighty Wanderers and FCB Nyasa Big Bullets have said the closure of their home venue, Kamuzu Stadium, in Blantyre, is having an impact on their gate revenue.
Football Association of Malawi’s (FAM) First Instance Body (FIB) barred the facility from hosting elite matches in April this year for failing to meet minimum standards.
As a result, Wanderers have been hosting matches at Mpira Stadium in Chiwembe Township, Blantyre, and at Zomba Stadium. They also hosted the Blantyre derby against their arch-rivals at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
On the other hand, the People’s Team were playing their home games at Joyce Chitsulo Stadium in Mwanza and lately, Mpira Stadium.
The Nomads’ director responsible for finance, administration and audit Mervis Mangulenje said: “As Mighty Wanderers, a comparison of revenues collected this season with those generated at Kamuzu Stadium last season indicates an overall decline.
“Although two fixtures recorded marginal increases, these were driven solely by deliberate ticket price adjustments necessitated by the smaller capacities of the alternative venue, namely: Mpira and Zomba stadiums.
“The reduced stadium capacity, coupled with higher ticket prices has adversely affected expected patronage for Blantyre fixtures and consequently, overall revenue performance.”
On his part, Bullets acting chief executive officer Albert Chigoga also admitted that their inability to host matches at Kamuzu Stadium has led to a significant drop in revenue.
He said: “The buying power is not favourable to majority of fans who usually patronise football matches.
“Most of them literally trek to watch games at the Kamuzu Stadium because of proximity around many townships in the city. So, to expect people to pay for transport and then pay at the game is unaffordable.”
Super League of Malawi treasurer Ali Mwachande confirmed that the two teams are losing out significantly on gate revenue due to the stadium closure.
He said: “Based on comparisons, the teams’ gate revenue has dropped considerably due to a number of factors, including proximity and the capacity of stadiums they are using as home grounds.
“In fact, to an extent, this has also affected other teams because they make more money when playing against Bullets and Wanderers at Kamuzu Stadium.”
However, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture says it is in no hurry to ask FAM to re-inspect Kamuzu Stadium until it is satisfied that everything is in order.
In May, the ministry said it had completed working on all areas that were raised by the FIB, but could not ask FAM to inspect it as it was being used as a holding area for repatriated Malawians from South Africa.
But with the holding venue having shifted to Joyce Chitsulo Stadium in Mwanza, the ministry’s spokesperson McMillan Mwale said in an interview yesterday that the stadium is not ready for inspection.
He said: “During the holding period the facility has experienced some damages that need to be fixed upon funding approval by the ministry.
“After that, there will be an internal assessment, then a report will be submitted to the ministry authorities seeking approval for inspection.”
Mwale said considering the circumstances, they cannot give a timeframe on when the stadium will be ready for inspection.
“Much as we appreciate there is an urgent shortage of venues in Blantyre, we need to be orderly with the process,” he said.
Among the areas that raised by FIB were blocked toilets in the VIP section, vandalised and stolen toilet seats in the open stands, sub-standard and damaged substitute benches, broken toilet facilities in the dressing rooms, a non-functional scoreboard and the need for a structural assessment.
Reads part of the letter which FAM wrote to the stadium’s management: “These shortcomings pose significant concerns in terms of safety, hygiene and match operations, thereby rendering the facility unsuitable for elite competitions at this time.”
The status of the stadium created a stand-off between FAM and Sulom which led to the postponement of the FDH Bank Premiership launch game between Wanderers and Karonga United on April 25.
The development led to sponsors of the league, FDH Bank plc, temporarily suspending its K7.5 billion sports sponsorships.
The suspension was lifted two weeks later after Sulom, FAM, Malawi National Council of Sports and the ministry took turns to apologise to FDH Bank plc.
