Concerned Supporters disappear
Malawi Government might have succumbed to Concerned Supporters on the reopening of Kamuzu Stadium when, in actual fact, the group was not seriously in existence.
Some seven months after forcing Youth and Sports Minister Enock Chihana to cordon off and reopen the stadium, the group’s leader Mavuto Chibambo admitted that the grouping is inactive.
“Palibe chimene chikuchitika [there is nothing happening really]. We achieved what we wanted. We hardly meet. We are not as active. We never anticipated that violence would resurface at the stadium during the Blue Eagles and Wanderers game,” Chibambo admitted.
This is happening despite Chibambo promising to extend their mandate to fight hooliganism and violence.
Principal secretary II Justin Saidi yesterday admitted that they have lost touch with grouping. He dismissed any threat of fans going beyond the condemned terraces.
“There was no agreement between us and the Concerned Supporters. We were not dealing with them alone, but also the clubs that were feeling the pinch of the stadium closure,” Saidi explained.
Stadium manager Charles Mhango on Friday said he would abide by instructions of his superiors in the event that fans tamper with the condemned stands.
“It would seem the Concerned Supporters faced resistance from teams and forced them to return to their respective clubs. Frankly speaking, the Concerned Supporters are not playing any role in prevention of hooliganism,” he said.
Chihana warned that the group’s leadership would be held responsible if anything happened due to the suspect state of the stadium or if fans stepped beyond the cordoned terraces.
“But what I would urge you is to help us in ensuring that the cordoned off areas should be no-go zones because the moment we establish that some fans are climbing the fence or tampering with it, then we will close the stadium immediately,” the minister was quoted as saying in The Nation’s edition of December 23 2012.
On Monday, Chihana cast doubt on the possibility of the stadium’s complete overhaul taking place any sooner. But he said the facility has been allocated K200 million in the current national budget for renovations such as for the dysfunctional floodlights.
