Mixed fortunes for sports in tripartite elections
Former Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Sameer Suleman, Malawi Boxing Association (Maba) official Daud Chikwanje and Nyasa Big Bullets director Noel Lipipa won parliamentary seats during the May 21 Tripartite Elections, according to unofficial results.
Former Be Forward Wanderers general secretary Chipi Mpinganjira has also been elected member of Parliament for Blantyre City Central while former Zodiak Broadcasting Station football commentator Mike Bango triumphed in Kasungu North Constituency.
Former Bullets treasurer Chifundo Makande also won in Balaka South East Constituency.
However, it was not all rosy for the sports as Bullets midfielder Fischer Kondowe, Maba president Justice Katika and former National Youth Football Association chairperson Mavuto Missi failed to scoop a seat.
Former Bullets chairperson Kondie Msungama also lost in Blantyre City Central while Wanderers board of trustees chairperson Rashid Gaffer failed to retain his Blantyre Kabula seat.
Suleman won the Blantyre City South East Constituency. He was FAM president before incumbent Walter Nyamilandu took over the reigns about15 years ago.
He is well-known in football circles for the team he founded Sammy’s United. It once played in the Super League before its disbandment.
Chikwanje, who is chairperson of Maba Professional Boxing Committee, won the Machinga East parliamentary seat on the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ticket.
In an interview, Chikwanje, who lost in the May 20 2014 Tripartite Elections on People’s Party (PP) ticket, said he would push for increased funding to sports.
“It is no secret that sports is poorly funded and infrastructure is poor as well. Supporting pro-sports agendas will be among my key priorities,” he said.
Interestingly, Lipipa who contested on DPP ticket, defeated independent candidate Kondowe and UTM’s Missi and Malawi Congress Party’s (MCP) Moses Kunkuyu in Blantyre City South constituency.
On his part, Lipipa said he will push for the reduction in the gate revenue share to FAM, Super League of Malawi and Malawi National Council of Sports.
“I want to see to it that all Super League clubs are commercialised. This can be done if they have enough resources. Almost 30 percent of gate revenue goes to administrators. We need to change this so that clubs benefit more,” he said.
Bango, in his reaction, said it was good that a number of people from the sports industry have made it to the National Assembly.
“I think it will be easy to push sports agenda with one voice because they are a couple of people that are in the industry,” he said.
Katika, a DPP candidate, failed to win in Blantyre Bangwe Constituency won by Orphan Shaba.
