Ben Phiri launches trophies in Thyolo

Aspiring parliamentary candidate for Thyolo Central Constituency Ben Phiri on Sunday launched K10 million football and netball trophies at Khonjeni in the district.

This is the second edition of the competitions after successfully introducing them last year.

Speaking during the launch, Phiri said the event was a fulfilment of a promise he made last year to continue sponsoring the competitions.

“I am so excited because the promise I made last year was like a penalty to me which I would score or miss.

“I had to make sure that I work hard to source the money and K10 million is not small money.

“I am grateful to God that we can come back and as you can see the excitement is so high,” he said.

Phiri, who is  governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) director of elections, said Thyolo has vast talent and that the competitions will go a long way in helping unearth hidden talent.

“You may be surprised to learn that Thyolo produced some great footballers such as [former Flames captain] John Maduka.

“It is my wish that more of such talent is unearthed as we contribute towards the development of football and sports in general in the country,” he said.

Malawi National Council of Sports board member Christopher Waya applauded Phiri for sponsoring the competitions.

“We are very grateful. Seeing what is happening here we are very much encouraged that the youth have a chance to display their talent. This is another way of scouting talent from the rural areas,” he said.

The trophies will involve school teams, social teams and clubs in both football and netball. There will also be a bawo competition.

The sponsorship also includes uniforms for participating teams. n