Sulom rebuffs Eagles

Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has dismissed Blue Eagles FC’s complaints relating to their relegation from the top-flight league.

But the Malawi Police Service side has since appealed to the Football Association of Malawi (FAM).

The Lilongwe-based outfit was relegated on head-to-head after tying with Mzuzu-based Moyale Barracks on all parameters.

Eagles filed three grounds of complaints, including match-fixing in the game between Moyale and Red Lions whose result contributed to the cops’ relegation woes, alleged poor officiation in their last match against Mafco FC which Eagles lost 1-2 and use of head-to-head as a tie-breaker, which determined their fate.

But in its determination, Sulom dismissed all the grounds.

On the first two grounds, the flagship league runners said Eagles failed to provide evidence on the alleged match-fixing and poor officiation.

In an interview on Wednesday, Sulom general secretary Williams Banda said: “There is no proof [of] their match-fixing allegations while on poor officiation, they did not even play under protest.”

On the tie-breaker, part of the letter from Sulom reads: “As regards the issue on ‘non-existence of head-to-head rule’ in the Sulom Rules and Regulations, we would like to draw your attention to Article 19.1 of the  Sulom Rules and Regulations [2023] which state that all rules that are currently in force, as set by Fifa, shall apply. Fifa rules are clear on tie-breaker rule as head-to-head metric comes to play.”

Banda said Eagles’ relegation was, therefore, legitimate and transparent.

But in an interview on Wednesday, Eagles general secretary Benjamin Msowoya said they have appealed to FAM only on the “use of non-existent head-to-head tie-breaker in the rules”.

He said: “We are only pursuing the head-to-head tie breaker because we feel we have a very strong case as it is not provided for anywhere in the rules.”

Article 19 of the Sulom Rules and Regulations under format of the league is silent on a clear tie-breaker in the event that teams tie on points, goals scored and goals conceded.

Article 19.5 reads: “If at the end of the second round two or more teams equal on points, then goal difference shall determine the winner. A positive goal difference will always take precedence over a negative one.”

Article 19.6 says where the result is still a tie, then the team that has scored most number of goals shall be declared winner.

Football follower and private practice lawyer David Kanyenda reiterated in an interview on Wednesday that head-to-head is not recognised as a tie-breaker in the Sulom rules.

He said: “Blue Eagles and Moyale can’t be separated at all on a proper and strict interpretation of the applicable rules.

“Our rules are not sufficiently deep and adequate to separate the two teams who are locked in a statistical dead-heat.”

Kanyenda argued that the rules ought to have expressly provided for additional tie-breakers such as head-to-head results or disciplinary records right after paragraph 19.6.

He said: “There’s urgent need to review the Sulom Statutes in order to provide clarity and guidance to clubs.

“But the league regulators can’t import fresh tie-breakers or claim to rely on Fifa regulations which do not operate any national league. In any event, national leagues have varying approaches on tie-breakers.

“Where head-to-head applies,  it is expressly provided for.  In my view, Blue Eagles are at any rate still entitled to protest the purported relegation.”