Sulom admits being soft on player tapping

The Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has admitted that if it were strict in enforcing its rules and regulations, all its teams could face stiff penalties over free-for-all player-tapping.

Sulom general secretary Williams Banda on day said, while ignorance is no defence in law, the teams are not being punished because they are on a learning curve.

“Little by little we will get there [professional conduct]. That is why we started off with the players’ code of conduct so that they get to know what is expected of them. We want to take it step by step and see whether the problem is with the players, us or the teams,” Banda explained.

In the pre-season friendly matches and tournament such as the Fellowship Association of Malawi (Fama) teams are busy featuring new recruits yet none of them have finalised transfers with Sulom.

Sulom has since extended the players’ transfer window from April 30 to May 28 2012.

Azam Tigers striker Charles Ngosi scored Blue Eagles’s Fama Cup leveller before the cops won on post-match penalties. Escom United also have new recruits, including from Zomba United. Mighty Wanderers have on trials new players such as Lumbani Munthali of Tigers.

Almost all teams are featuring players who legally belong to other clubs which is against international football regulations. An interested club first seeks permission to talk to another club’s player when such a player is within six months of the expiry of his contract.

Where players still have a running contract it is illegal for interested suitors to approach them for a possible move unless such talks are sanctioned by the team owning the footballer.

Banda admitted that under its rules and regulation player tapping is an offence attracting varying penalties, including bans.

“This is a learning curve. We will have a meeting with teams to remind them of the conduct of players’ transfers. It is a challenge on our part where teams whose players are with other clubs have not complained to us and even those acquiring them have not written to us,” he noted.