Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has launched a hunt for a national cup competition sponsor to replace FDH Bank plc which has switched to top-flight league.
FAM president Fleetwood Haiya yesterday said the association is in discussion with prospective partners and they are hopeful everything will be in place before the 2026 season kicks off next month.
The association has maintained in its calendar the cup competition weeks after FDH Bank plc announced the end of a five-year sponsorship after taking over the country’s elite football league from TNM plc with a K5 billion five-year contract.
FAM offered the cup sponsorship slot to TNM plc, but the mobile network service provider said it was not ready to sponsor a football competition this year.
“We have not yet found a sponsor. However, it is too early to close the door for partnerships. Actually, the few we approached showed interest to come in and discussions are ongoing,” said Haiya.
According to FAM operations director Gomezgani Zakazaka, the cup competition is expected to be maintained because it is important on the FAM calendar.
“That cup cannot be abandoned,” he said.
Apart from the cup and the top league, Malawi football clubs also compete in the Airtel Top 8, exclusive to teams that finish in the top eight in the league, and the Castel Challenge Cup open to all within a season. Some clubs are also expected to compete in international club tournaments while their key players also have national team assignments.
Meanwhile, some clubs have ecast doubt on the prospects of maintaining the cup competition on the calendar, especially considering existing fixture congestion.
Mighty Wanderers chief executive officer Panganeni Ndovi said replacing or maintaining the cup competition is not a big issue, but the synchronisation of the football calendar to ensure that there is a conducive environment for clubs to effectively participate in all competitions.
“What we have consistently observed is the conflict between cup competitions, league fixtures and national team assignments. This creates pressure on us, clubs, in terms of player management, logistics and overall planning. Unfortunately, fixture congestion is rarely addressed adequately by administrators when scheduling these competitions,” he said.
In a separate interview, Karonga United general secretary Ramzey Simwaka said: “We would love to have a league and two cups around. Having many cup competitions brings congestion. If there are companies that want to come in, let them partner with FDH Bank, so that our league is enhanced.”
