FAM exco refers court issue to disciplinary committee

Football Association  of Malawi (FAM) executive committee on Saturday resolved to refer to its disciplinary committee the court injunction issue in which three aspirants sought a High Court order stopping the association from proceeding with elections at last month’s annual general meeting (AGM).

In his remarks after the polls in Mangochi, Fifa development officer for Southern Africa Ashford Mamelodi said they were disappointed that the issue was taken to court and asked FAM to take action.

“The issue has been referred to the disciplinary committee which will be instituted during the extraordinary general meeting [EGM] slated for February 20,” said FAM first vice-president James Mwenda, who  attended the meeting held on Saturday in Blantyre.

The High Court in Blantyre, through judge Kenyatta Nyirenda, granted FAM presidential aspirants Wilkins Mijiga and Willy Yabwanya Phiri as well as vice-presidential hopeful Tiya Somba-Banda an injunction on the basis that the association’s electoral committee did not comply with Article 22 (1) and (5) of the FAM statutes to produce a list of delegates 15 days prior to the elections.

However, Nyirenda discharged the injunction on the day of the polls, saying Fifa statutes provide legal organs for settling disputes.

But Somba-Banda who, appeared on the documents as one of the plaintiffs, denied being party to the move.

“I want to set the record straight that I did not sign for that injunction,” Somba-Banda told our sister newspaper, Nation on Sunday.

“I also learned about it here. I only launched a complaint with the appeals committee which ruled in our favour, so there was no need to obtain an injunction.”

Somba-Banda is Super League of Malawi (Sulom) treasurer. n