Sulom plans for drastic changes

Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has announced plans to implement radical changes this year as it embarks on running the top-flight league professionally.

In 2022, Sulom partnered Nico Life on funeral policy, Farmers Organisation to sponsor man of the match and Ana Mmudzi Mwathu and partners to sponsor outstanding players and coach of the season.

Coupled with challenges in fixtures, management, revenue collection and dispute arbitration, Sulom believes time has come to have a fully fledged secretariat.

In an interview with Nation on Sunday, Sulom president Tiya Somba Banda said the business of running the league is growing.

The biggest highlight of the 2022 season has been broadcasting rights which has raised K103 million from K20 million in 2021.

Said Somba Banda: “Sulom has seen growth and success in many areas as a result of prudence and vigilance that has seen successful persecutions of gate collections theft which sent a strong message on our seriousness on gate collections controls and malpractice.

“We agreed a tremendous increase in the league’s prize money with TNM from K15 million to K40 million for the winners which is 167 percent increase and K81 million in cash of the K100 million sponsorship is directly going to clubs which is unprecedented for any sponsorship.”

He, however, admitted that despite these successes the biggest challenge in the season was on fixtures management.

Somba Banda said: “We need to improve on fixtures. It doesn’t bode well on the league to have other teams finishing their fixtures, weeks before the closure of the league. It dampens professionalism and also dilutes the competitiveness of the league. This is something we need to work on going forward. The speed on closing disputes or disciplinary matters needs to be worked on as well.”

“Looking forward to 2023 is to demonstrate our professionalism quest by strengthening the Sulom secretariat by employing well-qualified professionals mainly on operations and accounting so that the executive committee is relieved from day to day operations and concentrate on driving strategy as a board.”

In reaction to this, football analyst George Kaudza Masina applauded Sulom for their plans to set up a secretariat and for admitting its short falls.

“The admission by Sulom president Tiya Somba Banda is a true reflection of how the 2022 season was. Such candid talk is very helpful as one tends to learn by perfecting shortfalls observed. Indeed, fixtures were a nightmare. One could think other teams were being favoured, but teams also were to blame at times with their demands. At the same time, lack of good playing grounds did not help matters,” he said.

Masina said the way forward was for Sulom to have professional people for specific jobs instead of elected officials.

Silver Strikers chief executive officer Thoko Chimbali has since hailed Sulom for the plans to have a secretariat.

“That is a welcome development and the way to go in this era. As a club, we are happy because it is what affiliates would want.”