Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has accused Football Association of Malawi (FAM) of enticing some FDH Premiership clubs to defy an agreement not to attend the association’s annual general meeting (AGM) in Salima today.
The flagship league runners’ president Gilbert Mittawa said yesterday that FAM is enticing some teams behind the scenes with promises of financial incentives if they show up at its congress.
“Some FAM officials were phoning clubs late at night enticing them to defy the agreement. Is that football?” said Mittawa.
that when he was Sulom president.
| Courtesy of Sulom
But during an exclusive interview with Zodiak Television on Thursday night, FAM president said about six or seven teams had called him informing him that they were on their way [to the AGM].
During the interview, Haiya also said he was not happy that Mittawa had a meeting with FDH Premiership clubs.
But reacting to this, the Sulom president said: “It was the clubs which requested for the meeting because they were not comfortable and I chaired the meeting to hear their concerns and they decided not to attend.
“It’s not me who decided or Sulom. Their concern was valid because FAM statutes are very clear as to who is to attend FAM AGM. The invitation to the clubs was not about workshop it was about AGM. So, clubs queried why FAM was breaking its own statutes.”
The meeting involving Sulom and clubs, held virtually on Thursday morning, was convened after FAM invited all the 16 top-flight league clubs to its annual general meeting (AGM) today in Salima without their governing body Sulom’s knowledge.
Haiya also said FAM has the right to direct access to the top-flight league clubs because they participate in tournaments which the association organises, citing the Airtel Top 8.
He said: “Sulom is there to run Super League, [but] teams play in other tournaments that are organised by FAM. For the clubs to register players, they do it through FAM platforms and they are licensed by FAM and,” he said.
“What the clubs need to know is that their mother body is not Sulom, but FAM.”
The FAM president said the reason they called the clubs was to hear their views on the reserve league which FAM intends to introduce, but Mittawa said that was not mentioned anywhere in the letter of invitation.
Although at some point during the interview Haiya dismissed reports that there were plans to dissolve Sulom, he later on said he would be happy to see teams running the league.
But Mittawa countered: “I wish he had initiated that while he was Sulom president.”
The meeting which Sulom had with the clubs also resolved that as a matter of good governance practice, any communication to the clubs should go through Sulom.
“The meeting resolved that any political issues between FAM and Sulom should be immediately resolved for the good of football,” reads part of a letter from Sulom to the FAM presiden.
Meanwhile, Mittawa has said he will not seek re-election as Sulom president next year.
He said: “For now, I will continue to serve the clubs until the end of my term, but I will not seek re-election.”
