Sulom asks sports reporters to refrain from politics

Super League of Malawi (Sulom) president Innocent Bottomani has asked sports journalists not to bring in politics in football reporting.

The Sulom president said this on Friday during a day-long workshop for sports reporters on laws of football that was organised by Sports Writers Association of Malawi (Swam) in conjunction with Sulom held at Crown Hotel.

The workshop attracted 40 sports reporters from across the country.

Bottomani said politics in football leads to biased reporting.

“As sports journalists, you should not be enthusiastic about watching sports taking sides. You must be skilled and courageous enough to gather news on football and other tasks related to it. Let’s not entertain setbacks.

“Do not bring politics into football. Remember the adage that “whoever spits in the sky, gets it back on his own face”. There is no place for biased reporting or taking sides.

“Some media reports are so disturbing and their coverage remain questionable. We should aim at protecting the hard-won sponsorship from the corporate world we are enjoying now,” said Bottomani

He also said there is need for reporters to be conversant with the rules to avoid misleading the soccer fraternity.

“The game of football is global, associated with dynamism, diversity and full of emotions. We may overcome these realities if we are quite aware of the rules of the game. Without doubt, rules of the game remain a precinct of positive reporting,” he said.

He then thanked the reporters for the cordial working relationship that has existed since the Sulom leadership got into office.

Swam president Peter Kanjere said the meeting was helpful as it helped throw some light on areas the reporters were not fully conversant with. He appealed to reporters to be impartial in their reports

The workshop observed that there are many challenges that reporters face in their line of duty.