Army defends its teams on violence
Malawi Defence Force (MDF) has thrown weight behind its teams in the wake of growing tension between them and civilian clubs that has led to a spate of ugly scenes at football matches.
MDF spokesperson Lieutenant Taweni Kalua was reacting to accusations by some clubs as well as Football Association of Malawi (FAM) findings that hostility of military teams’ supporters towards opposing teams has fuelled the current tense situation.
Instead, Kalua claims frustration is taking its toll on civilian teams because of military clubs’ dominance.
“It is not true to say that our supporters—who are mostly soldiers—lack discipline because they support and behave within military discipline parameters.
“There is probably an element of frustration because military teams are doing well and a good example is Mafco who won the Presidential Cup and three of our teams have also made it into the last four of the Carlsberg Cup and expect us to add more because Cobbe and Mvera are also doing very well [in lower leagues].
“Such is the competitive spirit that our teams have created two competitions—the first one is general and then there is another one among themselves,” Kalua boasted.
But when he was reminded that supporters of teams such as Kamuzu Barracks (KB) and Mafco have of late been accused of physically confronting opposing teams’ fans such as Big Bullets (in Dedza) and Mighty Wanderers (in Dwangwa). Kalua said: “KB and Mafco play away from their units and we go there with a few supporters who conduct themselves within the guidelines of Army discipline. Maybe other people just take advantage of situations.”
Apparently, Red Lions general secretary Captain Martin Mlowoka and KB team manager Francis Shawa also defended Army teams’ supporters, saying discipline is of paramount importance in the military.
Said Mlowoka: “Based on the recent events, the assumption could be that an element of frustration has crept in on the part of some teams because of military teams’ impressive performances.”
In its findings following the violence that led to the abandonment of the Evirom versus Lions Carlsberg Cup game, FAM established that the tension has come about because civilian teams are frustrated with their military counterparts’ dominance on one side and the military teams supporters’ hostility towards opposing teams’ supporters on the other, especially when Army teams are playing at home.
“FAM has been made to understand that there is conspiracy by civilian teams against Army teams whom they accuse of aggression and intimidation whenever they are playing civilian teams.
“To an extent, that hatred has come in as a result of the success of Army teams in local competitions as well as their good sponsorship from MDF against the [recent] background of civilian teams’ poor run of form and continued struggle to find stable sponsorship,” reads part of the statement from FAM.
FAM also stated that Army teams’ supporters need to realise that when their teams join competitions, they participate just like any other team and not as military entities.
