Former Wanderers vice-chair to challenge Bottoman

Former Mighty Wanderers vice-chairperson Francis Shaba will challenge incumbent president of the Super League of Malawi (Sulom), Innocent Bottoman during elections scheduled for next month.

Shaba announced his candidature in an interview on Saturday. He joins Daud Mtanthiko in the campaign to challenge Bottoman.

Shaba said, among other changes he wants to implement, is ensuring that Sulom does not get any money from the clubs because it already gets administration fees from the sponsors, TNM.

“The money which Sulom gets from TNM is enough to run the league; if there are any shortfalls, then we will have to negotiate with TNM,” said Shaba.

He also promises to improve the welfare of the referees, saying match officials, just like players, are very important in the game of football; hence, need to be properly looked after.

“It amazes me that despite their importance, referees in the country continue to be ignored when it comes to perks, yet we expect them to perform well. I will increase their match fee from K5 000 (US$11) to K15 000 (US$33) per day in the first year,” said Shaba.

He also promises to amend the Sulom constitution to include second and third vice-presidents to cater for regional representation.

“What I have observed is that some regions are sidelined and we just need to have that representation to help to develop the sport in all the regions,” he said.

Shaba, who also served as Kamuzu Barracks team manger after voluntarily resigning from Wanderers, said if given the mandate to lead Sulom, he will strive to secure sponsorship for unsponsored teams.

“I strongly believe that Sulom has a role to play in mobilising sponsorship for Super League teams. I will work towards that. I will also work towards finding sponsorships for cup games to complement the league,” he said.