FAM investigating ‘juju’ issue
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) says it is not amused that charms were found buried on the artificial turf at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre prior to Saturday’s Carlsberg Cup final between Be Forward Wanderers and Masters Security.
FAM facilities manager Casper Jangale said they are investigating the issue.
“It is disappointing and we would like to condemn such acts in strongest terms. It is unprofessional for clubs or fans to be involved in such acts.
“We have launched an investigation into the matter and we will take action on those that were involved in the acts,” he said.
Kamuzu Stadium manager Ambirike Mwaungulu said they were also investigating the issue.
“The information that I have is a bit sketchy as the security guard who was on duty never saw people planting the charms, rather he reported seeing some people who were involved in scuffles at night and he ran away.
“According to him, the people that he saw came with dogs and that they made their way into the stadium by jumping the fence and it was the following morning [on Saturday] that some Wanderers fans claimed to have found the charms on the pitch,” he said.
Mwaungulu said apart from getting information that three spots had been damaged, he did not have a chance to check as there was also a TNM Super League match between Nyasa Big Bullets and Dwangwa United at the venue yesterday.
“So, we should have clear direction tomorrow and thereafter, we will write FAM in line with our findings,” he said.
However, both Wanderers and Masters distanced themselves from the issue.
Wanderers main supporters committee chairperson Melvin Nkunika said: “It was actually our supporters who spotted the areas where the juju had been buried and we reported the matter to authorities and the charms were later on burnt.”
But Masters chairperson Alfred Gangata said his team is civilised and does not believe in juju.
“It must have been an operation gone wrong for our friends. You know the teams that are perpetually associated with juju rituals and we are not among them. We believe in tactics and techniques which also helped us win the game yesterday [Saturday],” he said.
Masters beat Wanderers 5-4 through post-match penalties to win the cup after playing out a one-all draw in regulation time.
