Kamuzu Stadium shut for BB, Nomads games
used to quell violence during their game at Kamuzu Stadium last month
FAM and the Super League of Malawi (Sulom) have jointly banned all league games from Kamuzu Stadium which has of late turned into a battleground and a breeding ground for hooliganism and violence.
“Depending on the cooperation of the teams and their fans, we will review the situation before the end of the year and decide accordingly. This suspension gives a chance to all stakeholders to go back to the drawing board and to thoroughly reflect on the ugly incidents with sober minds,” reads a statement co-signed by FAM general secretary Suzgo Nyirenda and his Sulom counterpart Williams Banda on Monday.
The suspension is in reaction to latest violence that punctuated a TNM Super League meeting between Evirom and Kamuzu Barracks at the stadium after a 2-2 draw. Evirom and Blantyre United games against Red Lions and KB also exploded into violence last month.
Suspected Big Bullets and Mighty Wanderers sympathisers are said to be on a mission to destabilise games involving Army teams, which they accuse of harassment when at home. Evirom are seen as Bullets’ bedfellows since the rookies draw most of their players from Ndirande Township; a stronghold for the People’s Team.
“It must be noted that the violence that has erupted is being conducted in an organised manner and there is a strong suspicion of a conspiracy against Army teams,” adds the statement, a month after Southern Region Police Headquarters warned that unless Bullets and Wanderers fans’ issues were resolved, the mischief will persist.
But Bullets general secretary Higger Mkandawire has faulted FAM and Sulom for not consulting the stakeholders before taking the decision to ban them from the stadium.
“Otherwise, this does not solve the problem of hostility at the hands of Army teams,” he said.
His Nomads counterpart David Kanyenda said the decision to shut the teams out of Kamuzu Stadium does not make any difference to Wanderers, because they are already serving a ban. He, however, said the ban has not dealt with the cause of violence at the stadium.
Coincidentally, KB team manager Francis Shaba on Sunday called on FAM and Sulom to ban for good Bullets and Wanderers from Kamuzu Stadium.
“We think Wanderers and Bullets must never again play here. They should play all their games in Lilongwe. We will write a report to our superiors. We lodged a complaint to FAM and Sulom that we are against playing at Kamuzu Stadium, but they rejected it,” Shaba noted in a post-match interview on Sunday.
Kanyenda on Monday said it was absurd for Shaba to link Sunday’s chaos to Wanderers, when they are currently serving a 10-match ban from the stadium.
“We think it is defamatory for Mr Shaba to be making such remarks when our team was then playing in Balaka Stadium. We will sue him. The common denominator in all matches is Evirom and why should he accuse us? We lost to a team for soldiers at Balaka Stadium, but ask him if police fired tear gas, ” Kanyenda charged.
Mkandawire said the only sensible thing is to push for a soul-searching meeting to get to the root of violence instead of implicating Bullets.
“Mr Shaba is a nonentity in Malawi football to be making such remarks. Only Sulom and FAM can make such statements. Mr Shaba must apologise. When civilians are being beaten by suspected Army fans, the Army teams disassociate themselves from such acts, what gives him the mandate to accuse civilian teams,” said Mkandawire.
—See full FAM/Sulom joint statement on
