Going gets tough
Eight of the 16 TNM Super League clubs fear for their survival as they are struggling to pay players game bonuses and other obligations due to lack of stable sponsorship.
The eight are Be Forward Wanderers, Mighty Tigers, Mzuzu Warriors, Ekwendeni Hammers, Karonga United, Ntopwa, Chitipa United United and TN Stars.
In separate interviews yesterday, the clubs confirmed that they are not able to raise game bonuses and that the little they get is spent on players’ upkeep.
The Nomads owe their players about K2.4 million in game bonuses dating back to last season.
The Lali Lubani club’s chairperson Symon Sikwese has since appealed for the players’ patience as they hunt for funds.
He said: “Even the sponsorship from Be Forward did not cover game bonuses, it was only enough for salaries.
“We inherited some of the dues from our predecessors, but we are trying our best to find money to pay the players.”
The Nomads owe the players bonuses for eight matches, out of which five are from last season.
Each player is owed about K175 000 and for 14 players, including three substitutes, it translates to about K2.45 million.
Nomads captain Alfred Manyozo Jnr said they were assured by Sikwese that they were looking into the issue “and that we will be paid our dues though the players seem to be losing their patience now”.
Mighty Tigers technical director Robin Alufandika, who is also the club’s co-owner, said push has come to shove.
“Without a sponsor, it is getting really tough for us and we are even considering stopping funding the club to take this heavy load off us,” he said.
Alufandika said they pay their players K25 000 each for a win, but they have not been fulfilling that obligation because of financial challenges
He said: “Maybe the Minister of Youth and Sports should consider calling for an emergency stakeholders’ meeting on how we can tackle this. Maybe there is something that we are not doing right and through sharing of notes, we can learn something.
“In the past, we had companies sponsoring clubs, but that is no longer the case and things look scary. I do not see us surviving until the end of the season.”
Mzuzu Warriors general secretary Donnex Chilonga said they have never paid their players since the season started.
“Since the league started, we solely depend on the Covid-19 relief from FAM. Although we depend on gate revenue, it is not enough to run affairs of the team,” he said.
On the way forward, Chilonga said they convinced the players to understand the team’s financial situation.
On his part, Ntopwa owner and director Isaac ‘Jomo’ Osman said the team has found it hard to secure financial help from well-wishers compared to last season.
“Our players do understand the situation and that’s way the team is doing well in the TNM Super League. We are failing to secure sponsorship,” he said.
But Osman, just like most teams, appealed to FAM to extend the Covid-19 relief, which ended yesterday after six months.
The team’s general secretary Ramsey Simwaka said:
However, Karonga United, who also do not have sponsorship, said this season they are able to pay their players game bonuses because of the positive response from the Karonga community.
“In the past, it was quite a challenge, but it seems the community here in Karonga have embraced the team as their own and we do not owe the players a penny in game bonuses so far this season.
“Perhaps that is why the players are motivated and are able to beat big teams such as Nyasa Big Bullets, Silver Strikers and Red Lions.” Karonga pay their players K15 000 for a win and K8 000 for a draw.
In the top-flight league only half the clubs have stable sponsorship. They are Nyasa Big Bullets sponsored by Nyasa Manufacturing Company, Silver Strikers bankrolled by the Reserve Bank of Malawi, Civil Service United under the Office of the President and Cabinet, Blue Eagles financially-backed by Malawi Police Service and four clubs—Red Lions, Mafco, Kamuzu Barracks and Moyale Barracks—powered by Malawi Defence Force.
