SEBASTIAN NYIRENDA CORRESPONDENT
(MaraviPost iReport): Over twenty-one referees in the Northern Region including those at FIFA level on Sunday swarmed the Mzuzu stadium early in the morning hours where they were seen clearing the playing field including the running track.
FIFA referee retired and the whistle men’ instructor in the region Kalyoto Ngosi confirmed the development in an interview saying with the TNM Super League just a month away from kickoff, they felt sorry with the status of the pitch and slow pace under which the stadium was being renovated by the city council in readiness for the competition hence felt duty bound to assist.
“Much as this facility belongs to government but under the wraps of the Mzuzu City council and that most athletes use it for free, waiting for government to maintain it, as referees in the northern Malawi we feel we have a responsibility to ensure the facility is in good state hence we came for a help,” said Ngosi.
Ngosi added that this is not the first time for his organization to go charity as at certain time they cleaned Mzuzu Health Centre to ensure the people they serve during football matches access quality services at the hospital.
He said they will work on the stadium until the whole facility is clean and ready for the Super League due to kick-off on 19th April this year. some of the FIFA referees involved in the charity work included Mabvuto Msimuko, Clement Kanduku, Jonazio Luizi,including their Physical Fitness Trainer Charles Kalinga.
Assistant Supervisor of Mzuzu Stadium Mateyu Suluma in an interview thanked the referees for the gesture saying it came at the right time when more labour force at the field is needed.
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“We only have a month to go for the league to roll to action but the three ground labours i have to take care of the stadium are not enough to deal with the too much work that is here, so we are grateful to the whistle men and many should emulate the good example,” said Suluma.
The referees’ gesture comes at a time when there are fears that Mzuzu stadium may not host the 2016 Super League as 13 panels of the stadium’s wall fence have developed heavy clacks that could endanger lives of the spectators.
The 20 seater Mzuzu stadium was built in 1970 by the Malawi government with prisoners doing the actual construction work and the wall fence has out-lived its lifespan cleating danger to spectators that lean on it including those that climb the fence to evade gate revenue.
