FCD pumps K50m into 4-Nation tourney

First Capital Bank (FCB) has pumped K50 million into the Four Nations Tournament which Malawi will host from March 16 to 26 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

The tournament, which will involve neighbouring Zambia’s Chipolopolo, the Harambee Stars of Kenya and Zimbabwe’s Warriors, will also attract the four teams Under-20 national football teams.

In an interview yesterday after announcing the sponsorship, FCB head of marketing Twikale Chirwa said they felt duty-bound to be part of the Four Nations Tournament operating in three of the four participating countries.

He said: “First Capital Bank opened its first branch in Malawi in Blantyre in 1995. And today, the bank is operating in five countries, including Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana and Malawi.

“We felt duty-bound to be part of this Four Nations Tournament because of the countries we are hosting being in countries where FCB is operating. But we are also excited for Malawi to host these countries. Malawi has not hosted any senior football tournament since 1988 and at FCB, we are delighted to be the official sponsors of this tournament.”

Chirwa said the Four Nations Tournament is also in line with the bank’s philosophy.

He said: “FCB is passionate about football. Football is in our DNA. We believe in football in Malawi. We also believe in football in the youth. As you are aware, this tournament will not only attract senior teams, but also Under-20 players from these countries we are hosting.

“If you look at our philosophy, we believe in Malawi youths, that’s why we sponsor the FCB Under-19 league which has contributed more than 90 percent of the players to the national team and Super League.

“We also sponsor Nyasa Big Bullets which has about 90 percent of their players coming from FCB Under-20. As such, the Four-Nations Tourney is in line with our values, mission and ethos.”

Football Association of Malawi general secretary (FAM) Alfred Gunda said FCB’s sponsorship will go a long way in supporting the logistics for the competition.

He said: “This comes at a time when we are now setting off to finalise preparations for the tournament. The sponsorship will go a long way in supporting us in organising the logistics for the competition, making sure that we are ready with all the requirements of the competition. We need a lot of resources for competition to finance the match organisation, to accommodate and support our players in camp.”

Gunda said the tournament’s budget is at K500 million to be shared by participating countries.

He said: “We are still looking for those that can come in to support us. We have the resources that we set aside as FAM. The countries that are coming are also contributing towards the competition. That should be able to cushion the hosting of the competition.”

All the four teams want to use the tournament to prepare for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers which resume in June.

Malawi will face Kenya in the semi-final while Zambia and Zimbabwe clash in the other semi-final.

The winners will clash in the final while the losers will fight for the third place.