Eight Red Lions players banned
- Club fined K3.6m, Reds say they will appeal
The Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has cracked its whip on Red Lions FC by banning eight of its players after finding them guilty of assaulting referee Boniface Chapinga during their TNM Super League match against Surestream FC last Sunday at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
Sulom has also fined the Zomba-based Malawi Defence Force (MDF) outfit K3.6 million for the ugly scenes, but the club’s treasurer Wakisa Kaisi has said they will appeal against the ruling, describing the punishment as unfair.
In a letter dated May 13 2015 addressed to Reds and Surestream’s general secretaries, Sulom states that all the fines are payable before the club’s next fixture which is on May 17 against Big Bullets FC.
“Failure [to pay] shall lead to forfeiture of points until the sums are paid or guarantees and sureties are deposited with Sulom. All other sanctions are with immediate effect,” reads part of the letter.
Two of the eight players—Dickson Mbetewa Jnr and Lot Chawinga—have been banned for 12 months for assaulting the referee “as stipulated in the Fifa disciplinary code (Article 49.1.b).
“The two players have been further fined K350 000 each as stipulated in the Rules and Regulations of Sulom (Article 21.6)”.
Six other players, Boniface Kaulesi, William Chiumya, Mathews Simbeye, George Haule, Thomas Makaombwa and Sunganani Msiska have been banned for six months eachfor the same offence while team doctor Gibson Langwe has been banned from the touchline and dressing room on any game for a year and further fined K350 000.
“Sulom would like to remind clubs, officials, players and spectators that we all have a responsibility to promote high standards of behaviour in the game by ensuring that the laws of the game are adhered to, always respect the match official’s decisions, promote fair play and never engage in offensive, insulting, assaulting match officials, opponents and opposing supporters.
“Any aggrieved party is free to appeal in accordance with existing rules and regulations of Sulom within 48 hours from the date of this letter,” the letter further reads.
But Kaisi yesterday wondered why it is only his club that has been punished.
“We are appealing against the ruling and we should file the appeal by tomorrow. We find it to be grossly unfair,” said Kaisi.
Asked on the effect of the ban on his team, Kaisi said: “It will have a very big effect as we only registered 29 players and six of them are nursing injuries, that leaves us with only 15 players.
“But we have no choice, but to fulfil Sunday’s game [against Bullets],” he said.
At the disciplinary committee meeting held on May 13 on the misconducts that occurred after the match, the committee found that Red Lions FC were in breach of conduct, rules and regulations of Sulom as stipulated in articles of Sulom constitution and Fifa disciplinary code.
Lions were charged of failing to control the actions of its players, officials and supporters who assaulted the officiating personnel and the general public; that their players behaved in a manner which brought Sulom and its sponsor TNM in disrepute and that the fracas made by its players’ breached peace of the general public.
