Nomads in no- show, risk ban
Mighty Mukuru Wanderers risk a ban from all competitions organised by Football Association of Malawi (FAM) for failing to honour yesterday’s Airtel Top 8 quarter-final second leg fixture against Silver Strikers at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
The competition’s rules and regulations state that a team that does not show up for a match risks a ban in all competitions under FAM.
Reads Article 10.6 of the regulations : “In the event that a team fails to show up at the venue according to scheduled time, the referee shall wait for 30 minutes before blowing the whistle to end the match.
“The team that does not show up in this case shall lose the match by two goals to zero [2-0]. The team shall also be fined K1.5 million and [shall be] banned from participating in any competition under the organisation of FAM.”
FAM competitions and communications director Gomezgani Zakazaka said in an interview yesterday that the rules and regulations will apply.
“Article 10.6 is very clear. What is remaining is the official communication to the stakeholders,” he said.
The Nomads were in a no-show for the match in protest against FAM’s decision to turn down their request to postpone the match until their appeal against the verdict on their abandoned quarter-final first leg is heard by the association’s appeals committee.
Referee Newtown Nyirenda yesterday blew the whistle to mark the kick-off at 2:30pm.
He then waited for the mandatory 30 minutes before calling Silver captain Chikondi Kamanga to explain to him the outcome of the match following Wanderers’ no-show.
In a post-match interview Silver coach Pieter de Jongh said he was disappointed that their opponents did not show up.
He said: “Huge disappointment. It’s bad for Malawi football. It’s bad for the sponsors [Airtel Malawi]. This a big competition.”
All things being equal, Silver will now face Mafco in the semi-final on Sunday.
Asked how he felt about Silver benefitting from the Nomads’ no-show, De Jongh frowned.
“Look I am not a politician. I am coach. I don’t do [football] politics. I talk football and I love doing it on the pitch not through board room decisions. I wish I played our opponent today.”
Bullets are already in the final after knocking out Blue Eagles in the semi-finals.
In an interview, one of the lawyers representing the Nomads in the case, David Kanyenda, said: “We are still waiting for the [FAM] disciplinary committee to furnish us a reasoned opinion to facilitate prosecution of our appeal with the appeals committee.”
The club’s board secretary Chancy Gondwe, also a lawyer, argued that fulfilling the fixture would defeat the purpose of appealing the disciplinary committee ruling which handed silver a 2-0 win and K24 million fine for the abandonment of the first leg.
He said: “Accepting to honour the fixture would have been legitimising that nonsense.
“Actually, the chairperson of the appeals committee has been made aware of our appeal.”
In an interview yesterday, FAM appeals committee chairperson James Masumbu said they are yet to be formally given the documents by FAM because what happens is that the appeal is made through the FAM secretariat.
