BB protest fresh decision to bar them from Airtel Top 8

Nyasa Big Bullets say come what may, they will ensure that their appeal against a ban not to take part in the next edition of the Airtel Top 8 competition, is heard by the Football Association of Malawi (FAM).

The Peoples Team chief executive officer Fleetwood Haiya was reacting to FAM competitions’ subcommittee chairperson Jabbar Alide’s statement on Thursday that they are ineligible to participate and their slot has since been taken up by Kasungu-based rookies, TN Stars, who finished ninth in the TNM Super League.

Said Haiya in an interview yesterday: “This is unfair to us because we were given a chance to appeal by the executive committee of FAM and there was no timeframe for the appeal in the communication we got from FAM.

“So, unless if there is another letter, we believe the door is still open for us to appeal, knowing that we are still in the festive season.”

However, Alide yesterday said theirs is more of an administrative arrangement.

“If they [Bullets] think they can take their time, then let them take their time. But the sanctions still stand.

“The decision to allow them to appeal was the [FAM] executive committee’s point of view, but in reality nothing has changed.

“As organisers, we are saying all the sanctions still apply unless otherwise because we have to look at the integrity of the system other than who is involved,” said Alide who is also FAM legal adviser.

In yesterday’s issue of The Nation, Alide was quoted as having said that they had closed the door on Bullets because they had still not submitted an appeal despite being given a chance to do so.

However, FAM president Walter Nyamilandu yesterday said hearing of Bullets’ appeal will be heard next year once they appeal.

“The ball is in their court. The executive committee granted approval for the appeal,” he said.

The People’s Team was banned from taking part in the next edition of the showcase and fined K7.2 million by FAM for the ugly scenes that occurred during the final match against Blue Eagles at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

Last week FAM wrote Bullets, giving them the green light to appeal against the ruling after their earlier appeal was thrown out due to late submission.

However, earlier this week, Haiya spoke out on their reservations regarding the prospect of appealing against the punishment because of the K800 000 appeal fee condition.

“We already paid fines in  excess of K7.2 million and we are, therefore, not comfortable with the condition that we should pay an extra K800 000 as an appeal fee.

“We feel it is prohibitive and we have not decided on whether we should proceed with the appeal.

“Perhaps, we will have to seek our board’s direction,” said the Bullets CEO.

An earlier statement from FAM signed by general secretary Alfred Gunda stated that Bullets wrote the FAM executive committee requesting for consideration that they should appeal “as the delay to submit the initial one was as a result of communication breakdown”.

Bullets lost the final match 1-0 to the Lilongwe-based Malawi Police Service side. n