Silver crack whip on fans

 Silver Strikers FC have dissolved the club’s main supporters executive committee for allegedly inciting violence.

In a statement, the Central Bankers’ company secretary Peter Masiye said the club’s board dissolved the supporters committee with immediate effect “for inciting violence, failing to control supporters on 7th January, 2023 and uttering statements that would bring football in Malawi into disrepute, including suggestions to bribe referees and promote the use of juju”.

The decision comes after Silver supporters on Saturday sealed offices and confronted the club’s chief executive officer Thokozani Chimbali, who has since resigned from his post.

It also follows a leaked audio in which some supporters claimed the club failed to win any silverware in the 2022 season because it did not give them enough money to bribe referees and consult witch doctors for juju.

“The board strongly condemns such conduct and utterances, and any promotion of acts that could bring the game of football into disrepute,” the statement reads in part.

It also states that as a club, they remain committed to working with all key stakeholders, including the supporters and their leadership in promoting football in Malawi.

“Going forward, the club’s supporters’ zone leaders are invited to a meeting on Saturday, the 14th January 2023 at 2pm at Silver Strikers Stadium,” the statement reads.

In an interview yesterday, Masiye said the supporters’ conduct had the potential of soiling the image of their sponsors, Reserve Bank of Malawi who warned that the club risks losing financial backing if it engages in violence or any other deplorable behaviour.

When asked if the club called members of the dissolved committee to hear their side of the story, he said they did that on Wednesday where the committee pleaded guilty.

Masiye added that they decided to dissolve the entire 10-member committee because, “as a unit, it failed to execute its core duty of controlling the supporters behaviour”.

While accepting their wrongdoing, the committee’s chairperson Brandson Levison yesterday said the club acted harshly by dissolving the committee.

“It was really a shocking surprise to hear that our committee has been dissolved immediately after our meeting with the board. I believe that at least, they should have first issued a strong warning,” he said.

“They could as well understand the situation that led to the incident. It was very difficult for a committee of 10 members to control over 200 angry supporters, who felt provoked by the presence of Chimbali in their midst at a time they were demanding his dismissal. All the same, we have accepted the dissolution since the board has such powers