Sulom moves to resolve Masters woes
Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has moved to resolve Masters Security FC stand-off over alleged non-payment of salaries which has forced players to boycott training and matches.
Confirming the development Thursday, Sulom general secretary Williams Banda said they have arranged to meet the players, the club’s leadership and the supporters over the issue.
“The players and all other stakeholders have agreed to meet for discussions. We want to find a solution to ensure the players return to the field,” he said.
Banda said, among other alternatives, they intend to request the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) to release the club licencing mandatory K2 million fee which clubs pay as surety.
“We can use the money which Masters deposited and use it to pay the players. This money, in fact, is meant for such incidences,” he said.
Masters owner Alfred Gangata said he welcomed Sulom’s move, but insisted he would not care if the players decided to start playing again or not.
“There’s nothing I am going to lose. I use my personal money to bankroll the team. I don’t even get any returns. It would not hurt me if the team disbands,” he stressed.
In the meantime, FAM has ruled out the possibility of releasing the club licensing surety funds to pay the Masters’ players.
The association’s club licensing and compliance manager Casper Jangale said the issue is between Masters players’ and leadership.
“They need to resolve the issues on their own. They have, in fact, missed one game only and that doesn’t warrant FAM to re-pay the club its dues,” he said.
Masters players downed tools last week, claiming they have not paid since March. They refused to travel to Dedza Stadium to fulfill a Super League fixture against Mzuni FC on Sunday and forfeited three points.
