Some clubs and analysts have said there is need for FAM to redesign national cup competitions’ format to give it some competitive balance in the wake of cricket scores registered in games between elite and districts teams.
FCB Nyasa Bullets set the tone in the comprehensive demolition of lightweights in the Castel Challenge Cup Round of 64 with a 22-1 victory over Blantyre Rural champions Kumanda All Stars from Chileka last week while their rivals Mighty Mukuru Wanderers thumped Mulanje-based Nsuwazi 16-0 on Thursday.
Among others, Bullets, Wanderers and Silver Strikers believe that a review of the format would bring sanity to the competition’s set-up.
Bullets acting chief executive officer Albert Chigoga said: “It seems that non-league teams are finding it hard to withstand the contest of playing against the top teams.
“The competition organisers need to rethink the whole format to see if it is serving the purpose. I opine that non-league teams should compete among themselves up to a certain level while Super League and regional league teams meet from the round of 32.”
The People’s Team boss said this would not only make the competition more exciting, but also more attractive.
“But I would understand that sponsors would want to reach out to many levels for commercial reasons, but in the end it waters down competition.”
His Silver counterpart Patrick Chimimba said: “I believe we need to redesign these competitions to give it some competitive balance.
“These cricket scorelines show that the gulf between clubs is huge and it has the potential to alienate fans as the results are predictable.”
On his part, Wanderers CEO Panganeni Ndovi said despite the fact that the competition’s format gives room for Super League teams to use players that are not frequently featured, “it would be ideal to engage Super League teams at a more advanced stage rather than competing with district champions whose standards are observably different”.
He said: “This has led to significant amount of pressure on the Super League teams which have a number of games being played in a short football calendar. We are exposing the players to heavy demand for football without taking into consideration their need for recovery periods.
“To play a match requires a number of things and a lot of expenses are incurred, joining at a round of 64 demands a lot for teams like ours and thereby increasing costs on our side.
“The benefit for joining at that level of the competition is always outweighed by the costs of participating at that stage aside from the other football reasons.”
Football analysts Charles Nyirenda and Kevin Moyo could not agree more with the clubs.
Said Nyirenda: “Following these cricket scores, as a matter of urgency, the format for the national competitions has to be adjusted to provide for preliminary rounds that assist to weed out lesser sides. Having teams whipped so badly degrades the importance of competitions.
“The format like the one we had previously in the Presidential Cup would be suitable because it separated the weak in advance.”
Moyo said: “From the results, there is need to rethink the format to enhance competition.
“The biggest problem is that at district level, we do not have well organised structures for football to flourish.”
In response, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) competitions and communications director Gomezgani Zakazaka said the association’s competitions committee reviews competitions at the end of every edition on all aspects.
He said: “So, if there is need, the format can be reviewed, suffice to say that the current format has been in use since 2005.
“The format has been used in FAM Cup, Presidential, Fisd and now the Castel Cup. So, if there is need to change, the committee will determine that when looking at all the oher aspects of the competition.”
