Clubs reject Sulom report

 Elite football clubs in the country yesterday rejected Super League of Malawi’s (Sulom) financial report at the annual general meeting (AGM) at Chiwembe, Blantyre.

Sulom treasurer Malinda Chinyama was about to present the financial statement when the clubs argued they did not have ample time to scrutinise the report e-mailed to them a day before the AGM.

“We cannot proceed with this discussion because as per the Sulom constitution, we were supposed to receive the report at least seven days before this AGM and not a day before,” argued Mighty Wanderers board secretary Humphrey Mvula.

Nyasa Big Bullets vice-president Fleetwood Haiya said there was need for clubs to be given adequate time to analyse the statement.

“The balances on the financial report have to make sense and they need to be well understood before we can approve it,” he said.

Sulom president Tiya Somba Banda admitted the late submission of the financial statement to the clubs and he deferred its presentation to next Saturday.

“We have deferred the presentation of the financial report to next Saturday. We will have a physical meeting with Southern Region clubs at Mpira Village while the others will follow the proceedings virtually,” he said.

The development means minute details on broadcast rights revenue would be explained after the next meeting.

Nevertheless, Sulom general secretary Williams Banda yesterday said the AGM and everything to do with it could have been conducted earlier in February had they not experienced financial hiccups.

He said the financial hiccups they face include the K29 million they are owed by media houses in broadcast rights revenue with the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation expected to pay K17 million. Banda said they are also owed money by some clubs.

Despite that, Sulom and the clubs have agreed to form a task force for gate management to curb fraud at matches and review the constitution, as the current one does not comply with the current football trends.

At the start of the season, clubs threatened to boycott fixtures unless some of the issues, including broadcasting rights revenue were reviewed