Kamuzu Barracks (KB) have said one reason they survived as rookies in the Super League was that they analysed why promoted teams struggle in that league.
KB are the only promoted team in the recent two seasons to have survived relegation and are among hot contenders for the league honours this season.
With just a few games before the end of the season, all three teams that earned promotion last season—Mzuzu United, Mponela and Evirom—face relegation.
Last season, Kabwafu and Bvumbwe Research were relegated in only their maiden season and only KB stood the heat.
“We discovered that most teams go into the Super League without planning properly. We first of all conducted a review to find out why promoted teams find it tough in the Super League and we established that one of the crucial factors was the calibre of players and we beefed up our playing squad with experienced and good players,” said KB team manager Francis Shawa.
“We roped in new players such as Joel Chipofya and World Nkuliwa who had experience playing in the Super League before. The other thing is that teams that earn promotion have little time to rest and then shift focus to preparing for the Super League,” he said.
Shawa added that by the time the Super League kicks off, usually the players are physically drained and it takes them a lot of time to recover.
“A good example is Mponela, and to some extent Evirom, who showed a lot of character towards the end of the season. In our case, we had to draw out a programme to suit the situation. Financial challenges could also be another contributing factor,” he said.
Shawa suggests the need for Sulom and FAM to pursue seriously the issue of harmonising the calendar. His view was shared by Southern Region Football League (SRFL) chairperson Trouble Kalua.
FAM general secretary Suzgo Nyirenda assured that, in collaboration with Sulom, they are trying to make the issue of harmonising the football calendar a reality.
Shawa also said KB management’s commitment also helped towards the cause.
“The authorities, starting from the commander and our chairperson, were committed towards the cause,” he said.
Super League of Malawi (Sulom) general secretary Williams Banda also noted that promoted teams do not have ample time to prepare as the regional leagues finish late.
“Financial depth of their [promoted teams] sponsors which leaves players’ welfare below expectations, experience of the players as well as infrastructure also come to play,” said Banda.
Mponela’s talisman Mude Geoffrey said: “I think the biggest problem that promoted teams face is lack of experience of playing at the top level because by the time they pick up, they would have already lost many points.
“The other factor could be motivation as most of the teams do not have sound sponsorship and this contributes to their performance.”
Evirom director and owner Emmanuel Viola said apart from financial challenges, there is also problem of lack of depth in quality as they could not afford good players
“Apart from that, I have learnt a lot of lessons during our stint in the Super League. It has been quite an experience, but the major one is that it is a rough terrain where several factors, in particular the trend by match officials and authorities to protect the interests of big teams,” said Viola.
Soccer commentator, Kelvin Moyo, said the issue of fatigue mainly affects teams from the North who spend a lot of time on the road.
“Apart from the issue of finances and lack of thorough preparations, fatigue also takes its toll mainly on Northern Region-based clubs as they have to travel extensively to fulfil fixtures and it can be tough for teams that are not financially sound such as Kabwafu, Ekwendeni and Mzuzu United unlike Moyale who are established and have resources,” said Moyo.
Other teams that survived relegation in previous seasons were Epac FC and Blantyre United.
