FAM disciplinary body dismisses Nomads appeal

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) disciplinary committee has dismissed Mighty Mukuru Wanderers FC appeal against the association’s competitions committee determination on their abandoned Airtel Top 8 quarter-final first leg against Silver Strikers.

The Nomads filed the appeal after being found guilty of causing abandonment of the match;  failing to control their supporters and  bringing the game of football into disrepute.

Consequently, the competitions body awarded the match to Silver by a 2-0 margin. Wanderers were also fined K24.5 million.

Part of the letter from FAM, dated December 2 2023, signed by its general secretary Alfred Gunda, reads: “The FAM Disciplinary Committee identified the following issues that it had to determine: Causing abandonment of the match;  Failure to control supporters and bringing the game of football into disrepute contrary to Article 13 of the Fifa Disciplinary Code;.

“The FAM Disciplinary Committee proceeded to consider the appeal and has given the following decision:  That the match was abandoned due to the conduct of Mighty Mukuru Wanderers players by refusing to commence the game after the disputed goal was allowed to stand; That the referee made obvious error, but referee errors are dealt with through other available procedures and indeed action was taken to penalize the referee”

The disciplinary committee also determined that the referee’s error should not be justification for abandoning a match.

The letter further reads: “Allowing this would bring disrepute to the game as errors are part of the game [and]  all matters raised by Mighty Mukuru Wanderers are inconsequential and the FAM Disciplinary Committee did not see need to rule on those issues.”

 The committee also says it did not find any reason to depart from the ruling of the FAM Competitions Committee.

“For avoidance of doubt, it is the considered opinion of the FAM Disciplinary Committee that the decision of the FAM Competitions Committee be, and is hereby upheld in its entirety. A full determination will follow shortly,” the letter further reads.

Reacting to the determination, Wanderers board secretary Chancy Gondwe, who doubles as their legal adviser said: “We shall wait for a full determination before we can make a decision.

“We shall wait for the full determination to appreciate the reasons for the determination. Our lawyers will guide us on how we should proceed after they go through the full determination.”