Chipiku League increases champs prize money

The Central Region Football League (CRFL) has announced an increase in prize money for Premier Division champions from K1.3 million to K1.5 million following a rise in sponsorship package.

CRFL general secretary Bernard Chiwiruwiru Harawa in an interview revealed that Masters Security, the newly crowned champions, will be the first beneficiary of the revised prize money.

Last year Chipiku announced it had upped its sponsorship from K7.5 million to K9 million.

Said Harawa: “We face financial challenges because it is not easy to administer a league with three divisions. However, we have the obligation to ensure that the prizes motivate the teams. This is why there is an adjustment.”

He also said there will be adjustments to prize money for the Division One and Division Two champions.

“Apart from the champions, the top five teams in each division will receive prize money which we will announce during the prize presentation ceremony,” he said.

According to Harawa, the ceremony to be held in Lilongwe this Saturday, will also see top goal scorers and best players in the three divisions being awarded.

The general secretary branded the just ended season as successful, citing high competition which saw about five teams fighting for the title, and with it, Super League promotion.

But he said a few incidents of violence, especially targeting referees, dented the season.

In the meantime, Chipiku administrator Brown Mkangama said they are impressed with how the matches were organised and hailed the competitiveness that characterised the league.

“I think the league officials generally did a commendable job in curbing violence despite isolated cases that happened,” he said. n