The Champion

TICO-TICO PAYS TRIBUTE TO KANYENDA

Mozambican legend Manuel Bucuane best known as ‘Tico-Tico’ has said the late Esau Kanyenda was “a perfect striker” and a “a very good teammate.”
Tico-Tico and Kanyenda were team mates at South African Premier Soccer League (PSL) side Jomo Cosmos in the early 2000s where nthey both scored loads of goals.
Speaking to a South African online soccer publication, KICKOFF, Tico Tico said he has great memories playing alongside Kanyenda whom he described as very calm and softspoken.
“I met him at Cosmos when he came from Malawi. We played together there, and then he went overseas. I have great memories, you know,” said the Mozambican legend.
According to Tico Tico, Kanyenda did not appear to like training but always came alive during matches.
“He was very relaxed, almost lazy. But on matchday, he was something else. Very strong, very aggressive. He could finish.
“He was a perfect striker, that's why it was easy for him to go overseas and make it there,” said Tico Tico.
Kanyenda died last week in the UK after a battle with liver cancer.
According to the late Flames striker’s brother McDonald, he will be laid to rest in Rotherham, in United Kingdom.

MWA MESSI MULI UMUNTHU - WATERO KATSWIRI WAKALE WA BARCELONA NDI KU BRAZIL

Wosewera mpila wakale wa timu ya Barcelona, Dani Alves, wayamikila Lionel Messi yemwe ankasewera naye timu imodzi chifukwa chomuwonetsera chikondi chozama panthawi yomwe anakumana ndi zokhoma.

Alves, yemwe pano ali ndi zaka 41 anamangidwa ndikutsekeledwa ku ndende pamene mu mwezi wa February chaka chatha bwalo la milandu linamupeza wolokwa pa mlandu wogwirira mtsikana ku malo ena omwela mowa.

Alves anapanga apilo ndipo kumapeto kwa mwezi watha bwalo lidagamula kuti iye sanali wolakwa.

“Messi anali Wayamba kundiyimbila fone,” Alves adatero pomwe amayamikira chikondi chomwe Messi adamuwonetsera.

“Iye sanayimbe kuti andipepese kapena asonyeze kumva chisoni pa zomwe zinachitika. Anayimba kundiuza nthabwala kuti ndiseke,” Alves adatero.

Anawonjezera kuti: “Sanandifunsenso kuti ‘chinachitika ndi chani?’ koma m’malo mwake andindifunsa kuti pano ukusowa chani. Iye analipira ma loya anga ndipo nditafika kunyumba ndinapeza kuti nthawi yomwe ndinali ku ndende iye ankathandiza banja anga.”

Alves anatinso Messi sanawuze wolemba nkhani kuti dziko lidziwe kuti wathandiza mzake.

“Ndikuyamika chifukwa anandiwonetsa chikondi chenicheni,” adatero Alves.

WATER IS LIFE, BUT WALTER WON’T BE PRESIDENT FOREVER

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has today decided that its president who has been in power for nearly two decades must not hold the position for life.

FAM has elected Fleetwood Haiya as its new President, replacing former international defender, Walter Nyamilandu, during elections held in the northern city of Mzuzu,

Haiya amassed 23 votes to the incumbent’s 13 in a winning with a much wider margin than many had predicted.

Mr Haiya made his name as an official of Malawi’s most followed club side, Nyasa Big Bullets where he served as Vice Chair until last year when he contested and won the position of President of the body that runs the elite league in the country, the Super League of Malawi (SULOM).

As head of the elite league Haiya introduced sweeping changes, including stopping the practice of elite clubs playing two competitive matches on one weekend.

He has won the FA presidency promising financial accountability particularly on how funds received from the world football mother body, FIFA are used.

Football is the most popular sport in Malawi, though the country’s national teams rarely do well in international competitions.

The country’s men’s football team, the Flames last won a trophy in 1988 when they beat neighbours Zambia in the finals of the regional East and Central Africa Senior championships on home soil in Blantyre.

The women’s team, the Scorchers are more promising. They are current holders of the regional COSAFA women’s championship which they won in South Africa early this year.

Mr Haiya has promised to make all national teams competitive within the southern Africa region and on the entire continent during the four years he will be head of Football Association of Malawi.

TRIUMPHANT SCORCHERS ARRIVE HOME

Victorious Malawi national women’s team have arrived back home, welcomed by an excited crowd, but their parade inside the city of Blantyre revealed how under-resourced they are.

Television images showed the Scorchers used a Flames team bus while parading the trophy.

Though a few women’s football teams have sprouted over the years, sponsorship towards girls’ football remains low and there are parents who still discourage their daughters from playing football.

It remains to be seen if the COSAFA triumph will change perceptions and attitudes toward girls playing football.

WOMEN'S FOOTBALL RECEIVES A MK60 MILLION WINDFALL FROM BUSHIRI

By Blessings Mpando

Goshen Trust has unveiled a MK60 million sponsorship package to support the Malawi women’s national football team, the Scorchers as well the national women’s football league.

The sponsorship package was unveiled at Golden Peacock hotel in Lilongwe by Goshen Trust Visionaire Shepherd Bushiri.

The package which is subject to renewal and further adjustments annually has allocated MK10 million to the Malawi women's football team preparations ahead of the Council of Southern Africa Football Association (COSAFA) tournament in South Africa later this month with a further MK29 million set aside to carter to for logistics to the tournament.

The National Women Football League which has now been branded to Goshen Women Football League will get the remaining MK21 million from the pot

Bushiri told the unveiling ceremony that Goshen Trust decided to support women's football after seeing that the Scorchers were doing extremely well but were not being sponsored.

That’s why I decided to come in not just to help the National Women Soccer Team, but also women football development so that we have more talent being nurtured,” he said.

FAM president Walter Nyamilandu Manda and National Women's Association president Adelaide Migogo commended Goshen City Trust for the sponsorship.

"The sponsorship package has come at a good time,” Nyamilandu said, adding he believed women's football team has a chance of qualifying for the world cup faster than the men's team.

Women’s football is still relatively young in Malawi but has already produced talented players such as Tabitha Chawinga who recently joined French side PSG, Temwa Chawinga playing for Wuhan Jiangda as well as Chimwemwe Madise, Madina Nguluwe and Sabina Thom who play club football in Zambia and DRC.

THE FAM REFEREES COMMITTEE DECISIONS ON REFEERING MATTERS

By Blessings Mpando

The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) Referees Committee has slapped five match officials with suspensions of between three and six months after finding them guilty of misconduct.

A statement from FAM said the committee met at the Mpira Village on Wednesday 27th September 2023, to deliberate on refereeing matters in elite football matches where reviewed relevant match footage, match officials reports and FAM Competitions Committee report:

The stiffest penalty was handed to referee Dave Chombo who has been suspended for six months for what the referees committee said was “poor knowledge and application of the Laws of the game and failure to cooperate with match organisers when summoned to a hearing as a witness in a Super League match between Silver Strikers and Chitipa United played on 1st August 2023.”

Referee Godfrey Nkhakananga and Referee Assessor Zuza Nyondo were suspended for four months each for failure to control the match by allowing play to continue after blowing whistle to stop play; continuing play without proper restart; allowing a goal from a dead ball and giving advantage by blowing a whistle in the Airtel Top 8 quarterfinal match between Silver Strikers and Mighty Mukuru Wanderers on 23rd September 2023 in the case of Nkhakananga while Nyondo’s breach was poor report writing as he failed to assess and submit a true performance of the referee in a Super League Match between Karonga United and Chitipa United played on 22nd April 2023.

Referee Deus Nyirongo has been suspended for three months for failure to control the game as per the requirements of the Laws of the game in a Super League Match between Karonga United and Chitipa United played on 22nd April 2023

Similar punishment has been handed to Referee Peter Jossam for failure to control the game and apply laws of the game correctly in a Super League match between Silver Strikers and Blue Eagles on 6th August 2023

According to FAM, all the suspensions are with immediate effect.

BULLETS NOT SATISFIED WITH GATE REVENUE

By Blessings Mpando

FCB Nyasa Big Bullets says it is not satisfied with the gate revenue realized at the Bingu National Stadium (BNS) on Sunday when they played against Dragon of Equatorial Guinea in the second leg match of the preliminary round of the 2023 Confederation of Africa (CAF) champions league.

The team announced that MK49 million was realized from the ticket sales but said it the money falls short of what they expected according to the club’s Chief Administrative Officer, Albert Chigoga.

"We expected to make more money than what has been made as a lot of people came to support the team. We don't know what might have happened but this is below what we expected as a club," he said.

Chigoga further said they will have to sit down and analyse what might have happened for the same mistakes not to happen when they will host TP Mazembe of Democratic Republic of Congo in the second round of the preliminary round later this month.

PETER BANDA BACK IN BULLETS COLOURS

By Blessings Mpando

FCB Nyasa Big Bullets has welcomed back wonder kid Peter Banda who has signed a contract to run until the end of the 2023 season.

The 22 years old attacker mutually terminated his contract with Simba Sports Club of Tanzania as he seeks to resurrect his career which stalled at Simba where he failed to nail down a regular starting berth in the team.

Speaking after putting pen to paper, the Flames international said it feels good to be back home.

"It feels good returning to my childhood club. I will work hard to give the team results as I wait for what the future holds," said Banda.

Some reports indicate that the attacker has rejoined the People's team as he waits for his Visa to allow him to join a Ukrainian club.

K15 MILLION RAISED FOR NTOPWA'S COSAFA TOURNAMENT

By Blessings Mpando

Ntopwa Queens has managed to raise k15 million for the Council of Southern Africa Football Association (COSAFA) tournament to be held in South African from 30 August to 8 September.

Through a fundraising dinner which took place on Friday at Golden Peacock in Blantyre, the super Queens received donations of MK4million each from the state president Lazarus Chakwera and the Super League of Malawi (SULOM) who were the biggest contributors to the pulse.

Speaking after the event, patron for the club Isaac Jomo Osman was grateful for the support received but was quick to call for more support from well-wishers.

"I am very happy with the support the team has received from different people. The little we have now is better than nothing but still we would like people to help us with the k10 million shortfall as our aim was to raise k25 million, " he said.

Ntopwa Queens qualified for the COSAFA tournament after being crowned champions of the 2023 Football Association of Malawi (FAM) women's championship.

The Bangwe based side is in group A and will face competition from Green Buffalos of Zambia, Double Action Ladies from Botswana as well as Lesotho Defence Force.

FLAMES DEFENDER CHEMBEZI TO PLAY CLUB FOOTBALL IN IRAQ
By Blessings Mpando

Malawi national football team defender Denis Chembezi can afford a smile after securing a 2 years deal with Iraq super league side Al Qassim Sports Club.

Chembezi has been without a club since parting ways with South African side Black Leopards in June this year.

The center back joined Polokwane City from Mighty Wanderers in 2020 and spent 2 seasons with the Limpopo based side.

In recent weeks, Khuda Muyaba joined Tishreen Sports Club of Syria while Muhammad Sulumba secured a deal with Sulaibikhat Sporting Club of Kuwait.