FOOTBALL CRISIS: Clubs demand Sulom resignation

Silver Strikers and Mighty Wanderers are demanding the immediate resignation of Sulom executive committee in the wake of how the flagship league body has handled the Balaka fracas.

But Super League of Malawi (Sulom) general secretary Williams Banda said while the call for their resignation has not come to their attention, it is a policy issue.

Silver chairperson McDonald Mafuta-Mwale yesterday said Sulom has handled the whole issue unprofessionally.

“These people must resign. The bottom line is that Sulom leadership must pack up and go.

“We have completely run out of confidence with Sulom. They are the ones causing all these problems,” said Mafuta-Mwale in a telephone interview from Lilongwe yesterday.

He said it is for that reason that they have sought the intervention of the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) on the issue.

“During the meeting that we had [Thursday evening], it was agreed that we should not even waste time appealing. Instead, we have asked FAM to thoroughly investigate the issue,” he said.

Just like the Nomads, the Bankers have said they are not going to honour the final fixture which, according to Sulom, has been slated for Kalulu Stadium in Nchalo tomorrow. The development is most likely going to delay the conclusion of the season and lead to legal battles which also put the K65 million TNM sponsorship under threat.

“We cannot pass Blantyre to Nchalo because our safety is not guaranteed. Our supporters and officials were beaten up by alleged Wanderers fans during the hearing and we would not want to take any chances,” said Mafuta-Mwale.

“In any case, Sulom can give the championship to whichever team they want. By the way, up to now they have not even informed us where we are going to play, so how do they expect us to plan? And that is precisely why we are saying  we will not play until the issue is thoroughly addressed by FAM and not the way Sulom did by handing careless bans to the teams,” he said. He said the fact that they are going to FAM is in itself a protest and a vote of no confidence in Sulom.

In a separate interview, Sulom legal adviser Thabo Nyirenda said they strongly believe that Sulom is an interested party in the matter and they cannot, therefore, make an impartial decision on the matter.

Nyirenda said they are seeking FAM intervention because they cannot afford the K450 000 appeal fee.

“Sulom say we should pay K450 000 and within 48 hours. To us that is prohibitive. Why this hurry? It means they do not want us to appeal. We have already spent money to fulfil the fixture in Balaka and we also spent money to attend the dsiciplinary hearing in Blantyre,” said Nyirenda.

However, Sulom president Innocent Bottomani has warned Silver against jumping the procedure, saying they are breaching the Sulom constitution.

“Clubs must first understand the Sulom constitution and what it says in regard to this issue. We advise Silver not to jump procedure. They must first appeal to Sulom Appeals Committee; only after exhausting such channels, can they move higher. We are not meting out punishment to kill football, but to deter hooliganism and prevent further loss of life in future,” said Bottomani.

He said Silver should not rush to FAM because there is room for reducing the ban and even the fine if reasons of appeal are genuine. He also said it is not true that Sulom banned the two clubs from other comepetitions, but Super League activities only.

On Silver’s security fears, Bottomani said his organisation has arranged with police to provide maximum security for both teams.

“We have arranged top security and the teams will be escorted by police to ensure they are safe. We have made that clear to the clubs,” he said.

Bottomani also distanced himself from influencing the decision of the disciplinary committee. Coincidentally, during the Nomads meeting in Blantyre, they also agreed to call for the immediate resignation of the Sulom leadership.

Wanderers supporters and their executive committee faulted Sulom in the way they handled the case, arguing that it was erroneous.

“We are giving them 48 hours to step down or else, we will mobilise other teams and call for an EGM [extraordinary general meeting] to advance that because we are certain the other clubs share our plight,” said Kanyenda.

But the Sulom GS said: “I am sure they are aware that it is a policy issue. I would also urge the clubs to exercise caution when issuing such statements.”

Banda said as far as he knew, the clubs had not yet communicated to Sulom their decision not honour the fixture at Kalulu Stadium.

The Nomads GS also questioned the timing of Nomads’ appeal, asking: “Are they going to appeal after the deadline has already passed? But it will depend on the interpretation of the Disciplinary Committee.”

Sulom gave the teams 48 hours to appeal and K450 000 non-refundable fee, but while the date of the verdict is December 31 2013, the clubs claim that the they got it on New Year’s Day and, therefore, the cut-off point was supposed to be yesterday.

FAM general secretary Suzgo Nyirenda said they would meet to discuss the issue.

However, a football commentator Ben Chiwaya said the cause of fracas at Balaka Stadium was police and Sulom.

“Sulom are saying the home team is responsible for the security, but seriously as the league governing body, they should be responsible for determining the way forward. Police should have also stood their ground having noted that security was not adequate. They should have either asked Sulom and the two clubs not to proceed with the game or provide additional security because they are responsible for the safety of lives other than concentrate on allowances,” said Chiwaya.