BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Nyasa Big Bullets and Mighty Be Forward Wanderers continue to bask in the glory of politics, a game of numbers. The two teams, that have a stable sponsorship from well established companies, Nyasa Manufacturing Company and Be Forward Company, are continuing monopolizing the country’s public pulse courtesy of regional politics as their fellow teams are in financial abyss.
In the run up to 2019 Tripartite Elections, Bullets and Wanderers were promised a stadium each by the country’s President Peter Mutharika in a bid to solicit votes from supporters of the country’s football powerhouses.
Mutharika’s pledge attracted mixed reactions: some faulted the president for his decision to have public funds spent on teams that are owned by private companies while many football fanatics applauded the gesture.
However, considering the numbers attached to the two teams, Malawi Congress Party (MCP) and United Democratic Front (UDF) also spoke in support of the stadium projects when responding to the national budget statement in parliament last year.
As the president was presiding over the ground-breaking ceremony of the two clubs’ stadium project construction in Blantyre on Saturday, Mutharika made yet another donation of two big busses to the two teams.
The President’s gesture followed a request from the two clubs’ officials earlier despite government removing duty on importation of buses for TNM Super League and netball clubs.
Mutharika first laid the foundation stones for Bullets Stadium at Zingwangwa near Moneymen along Chikwawa Road before proceeding to Kanjedza Forest near Blantyre Teachers College for the Nomads’ stadium, before proceeding to Nyambadwe ground in Ndirande for a launch rally.
Speaking during the rally, Mutharika who said he used to play as a centre-half, said he is keen to see football developing in the country.
“When I came here last year I promised to build the two stadiums for the two clubs. When I make a promise I fulfill it,” he said.
The President said Bullets and Wanderers deserved the government’s help, having produced top players such as Kinnah Phiri, Lawrence Waya, Jack Chamangwana, Yassin Osman, Chance Vinny Gondwe, Kennedy Malunga, Walter Nyamilandu, Joseph Kamwendo and Peter Mponda.
But much as the president’s gesture deserves much applause from the citizenry, it is also proper to bring to the attention of the president challenges some teams in the top flight league are going through.
Recently, some TNM Super league teams disclosed that they were failing to pay salaries for players due to their failure to generate revenue after kick off of the season was halted in the wake of Covid-19.
Karonga United Chairperson Mathews Tulombolombo said suspension of games has put them in an awkward position as they cannot generate revenue from gate collections.
“We need to source about K2 million for players and technical staff members’ salaries. We have been very open about our situation and all stakeholders know that we are deep in the red. We engaged our players and technical panel on the state of our finances.
“We had reserved some money to cater for our preparations in March, hoping that we would raise more after the season kicks off. As I speak, we do not have anything in our coffers. This has forced some of us to use our personal resources for some of the team’s needs,” Tulombolombo was quoted as saying.
Ntopwa FC owner Isaac ‘Jomo’ Osman also spoke of tough times in the absence of games.
“We are struggling to pay our players. We need a rescue package now. Paying players’ salaries does not come cheap. Something must be done,” he said.
Other unsponsored teams such as Tigers, Chitipa United and Mzuzu Warriors have also said they are finding it difficult to pay their players.
Tigers Chairperson, Sydney Chikoti, said they are working on other means of sourcing funds to pay their players.
“Life is indeed unbearable without revenue from gate collections. There is hardly any money for payment of players’ dues. We are trying to explore other avenues of raising funds because we have an obligation to pay our players.
“But our players know what we can afford to pay and we expect them to be patient. Life could have been better had the season kicked off,” Chikoti said.
In view of the above narrations of clubs’ leaders, donating busses to teams that are already enjoying stable sponsorship sounds illogical, irrational, unreasonable, crazy, awkward (you can pick your own terminology), and it is a clear demonstration of regional politics in which both Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Malawi Congress Party (MCP) thrives on.
Having promised stadiums for the two teams, the president would now consider helping the other teams who are deep in financial problems as they do not have a sponsor to rely upon. But alas, politics is a game of numbers and on 23rd June 2020 Malawians are going to vote in a fresh poll. Nyasa Big Bullets and Mighty Be Forward Wanderers have a huge following that even the opposition parties cannot dare opposing the Mutharika’s misplaced pledges.
