Gate collections indaba today
The Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has called for a Southern Region football clubs’ indaba today (Wednesday) in an attempt to break pockets of resistance for outsourcing Kamuzu Stadium gate collection.
Sulom general secretary Williams Banda on Tuesday said they have invited the police, club chairpersons, general secretaries, treasurers, ground owners, stewards and supporters’ chairpersons to the meeting scheduled for 2pm at the stadium.
“To review the gate management procedures as well as to consider the tender documents that have been received. It should be noted that we shall only outsource the cashier while supervisors shall come from clubs,” Banda said in a press statement.
Big Bullets and Mighty Wanderers, have contrary to the practice across the region and as per April 1 2013 resolutions, still used fans as gate cashiers after rejecting Fellowship Association of Malawi (Fama) collectors.
Recently, Wanderers supporters committee secretary Felix Njaya said their continued management of the gates was as a result of their executive committee’s failure to communicate about the new arrangement.
Last month, Bullets general secretary Higger Mkandawire challenged Sulom for getting the season underway without a consultative stakeholders’ meeting. But Sulom hit back at Bullets, saying such a meeting took place on April 1.
Mkandawire yesterday said he was yet to receive Sulom’s communication regarding today’s meeting “but I have no problem with the meeting as long as there is transparency and accountability.”
On April 30 2013, Wanderers general secretary David Kanyenda reacted to The Nation’s story over Nomads executive committee’s failure to communicate to the fans on the new gate procedures.
“What is at play is resistance to change by the fans because they fear that they will be deprived of some income. We need outsourcing to maximise teams’ revenue because we use personal funds to run the team. It is not in our interest to maintain the current system,” Kanyenda wrote in a text message.
Last week, Kamuzu Stadium manager Charles Mhango advised Sulom to call for a stakeholders’ meeting if the fans are to be won over the new arrangement.
Gate collections fraud is a cancer analysts attribute to domestic clubs’ financial struggles.
