Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has approved payment of the last chunk of the Fifa’s Covid-19 Relief funds to seven TNM Super League clubs to cushion them from the economic effects of the pandemic.
Nyasa Big Bullets, Red Lions, Mafco, Be Forward Wanderers, Ntopwa FC, Karonga United and Ekwendeni Hammers will each get K5 million.
All TNM Super League clubs were allocated K10 million and they got the first disbursement of K5 million last year.
FAM Covid-19 task force chairperson Chimango Munthali confirmed the development in an interview yesterday.
However, he said the other nine top-flight clubs are yet to receive the remaining money because they have not fulfilled the requirement of submitting expenditure reports for the first chunk.
The nine teams are Civil Service (Civo) United, Silver Strikers, TN Stars, Chitipa United, Mzuzu Warriors, Kamuzu Barracks, Moyale Barracks, Tigers FC and Blue Eagles
Said Munthali: “The seven teams that successfully reconciled their first payment have received their final payment of K5 million.
“As you are aware, it is a ‘comply-and-access’ process. We are working on having thorough reconciliation for those who submitted but don’t meet the requirements and encouraging those who are yet submit to do that.
“We are aware teams are going through tough times and any penny in their direction will make a difference; hence, our swift release of the funds a few days after we got the money from Fifa.”
However, Nyasa Big Bullets chief administration officer Albert Chigoga said the funds were yet to reflect in their account.
He said: “The funds are not yet received. Hopefully, they are still processing,” he said.
On the other hand, Civo, which is one of the clubs yet to submit the expenditure reports, attributed the delay to some challenges.
The club’s general secretary Ronald Chiwaula said: “But we have now sorted out everything and submission should be done this week and we expect FAM to consider us for the second chunk as soon as they receive our reconciled report.”
But Silver chief executive officer Thoko Chimbali said his club fulfiled all the requirements for the for the final chunk.
“I think FAM is a confused bunch. We were actually the first to liquidate. Even in the first communication from FAM they indicated that they were only four clubs that had reconciled and Silver were among them,” he said.
Fifa allocated $ 1 million to each member association, including FAM, to be disbursed in two instalments of $500 000 (about K385 million).
