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Just desserts

 

Financial constraints have hit some regional football league teams hard, prompting Northern Region Football Association (NRFA) to expel Mchengautuwa United and Mbawa FC from the Simama and Sons (Simso) Premier League for failing to pay registration fees.

NRFA general secretary Masiya Nyasulu confirmed yesterday that the two teams have been forced out of the second-round games because each could not afford to raise K150 000 fees.

Cobbe (in black) are one of the affected teams

“The rules are clear that when a team fails to honour affiliation fees exceeding the deadline, they are automatically out of the competition. Teams that were supposed to face the two sides in the remaining fixtures will be awarded free points,” he said.

Mchengautuwa chairperson David Katete said their financial problems are just too much for them to fulfil their remaining fixtures while Mbawa spokesperson Kanani Chunga said they are discussing with their financiers on the way forward.

Similar problems have forced their Southern Region counterparts—SRFA—to resort to punishing 24 teams by declaring them losers by two goals whenever they have Chitetezo Mbaula League fixtures.

So far, SRFA chairperson Raphael Humba said five of Chitetezo Mbaula Premier Division’s 22 teams, namely Eshani Wizards, Cobbe Barracks, Nyasa United, Bvumbwe Research and Nsanama are yet to complete paying K180 000 registration fees each, six months after the league kicked off.

In the 28-team Division One, he said 19 teams are playing hide-and-seek to fulfil their obligations of paying K160 000 registration fees. The teams are Sable Farming, Nambazo Medicals, Mighty lvory, Trouble Makers, Jali United, Ndirande lcons, Blantyre Vendors, Ginnery Corner, Chileka Airport, Chiringa CCAP, Chadzunda United, Zomba Foundation Football Academy, Green Hawks and Kim Stars.

“It is becoming a habit for some teams to ignore the importance of paying the registration fees on time. We will soon have a meeting which will decide whether to expel them from the league or continue docking points from their games,” Humba said.

He added that from next season, they will not allow any team to start the league games before paying the registration fees.

Nsanama acting general secretary Joe Chembe yesterday said they have nowhere to source funds to pay the fees and they are pleading with well-wishers to come to their rescue.

“We were hoping to raise money during our home games, but the problem is that most of our opponents fail to come to our base,” he said.

However, no such problems occurred in the Central Region as CRFA vice-general secretary Anthonio Manda said they ordered their teams to pay the Chipiku League registration fees before the season kicked off in May. Teams pay K160 000 to participate in the premier division, K140 000 in division-one and K120 000 in division-two.

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