Clubs abandoning elected positions

The bulk of TNM Super League clubs have now abandoned elected executive committee system of management which was viewed as an impediment to the professionalisation and commercialisation drive.

So far, apart from Chitipa United who held their elections last week, most teams have done away with elections.

Lilongwe-based Civil Service United have become the latest team to abolish the elected executive committee system after the club’s owners, the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), approved the proposal.

Following the development, OPC will appoint a board for the club once the current executive committee’s tenure expires tomorrow.

The club’s outgoing  general secretary Edgar Chipalanjira said the new arrangement will bring efficiency in the running of the club as it embraces commercialisation.

He said: “What will happen is that the club’s owners, OPC, will now appoint some sort of a board which will now be managing the the affairs of the club.”

Apart from Malawi Defence Force sides Moyale Barracks FC, Mafco FC and Kamuzu Barracks who have always had appointed managers, the other Super League clubs were electing executive committees to run their clubs.

Football Association of Malawi club licencing and compliance manager Casper Jangale said having a permanent club management set-up is the way to go in modern football.

He said: “When club licencing says TNM Super League clubs must have a permanent secretariat, this is what we are talking about.”

Jangale said in the past the association was spending a lot of money building the capacity of elected individuals as football administrators only for them to leave after completing their tenure of office.

FCB Nyasa Bullets were the first to embrace appointed club management in 2017 following the acquisition of the club by Nyasa Manufacturing Company.

However, this was not without resistance as their supporters felt sidelined from running the club.

Bullets’ success inspired other clubs to join the bandwagon as more Super League clubs such as Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, Silver Strikers, Mighty Wakawaka Tigers, Karonga United, Dedza Dynamos, Ekwendeni Hammers and Bangwe All Stars also embraced the appointment of boards.

Newly-promoted clubs have also followed suit.

Football analyst Charles Nyirenda said clubs have realised the advantages of having a board rather than an elected executive committee.

He said: “You might have noted that since the clubs embraced having appointed board or management, it has brought in continuity and there are no-longer those in-house squabbles that we used to see in Super League clubs.”