Sulom under pressure

• Need to amend constitution ahead of FAM polls

Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has less than a month to make amendments to its constitution, adopt and ratify them otherwise it cannot send eight delegates to Football Association of Malawi (FAM) elective Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Salima on December 12.

According to FAM’s newly adopted statutes, the general assembly will have 36 delegates with Sulom contributing eight while regional associations will each be represented by six. The other affiliates will each send two members.

Sulom’s current statutes say it can only send three representatives and the league runners hope to call for an extra ordinary general meeting (EGM) to adopt and ratify the changes.

It is now 46 days before FAM elections. Sulom constitution stipulates that a 14-day notice be given before the EGM can convene which means they have about 32 days to call for the

However, general secretary (GS) Williams Banda is optimistic that they can beat the deadline.

“We hope to finalise everything soon,” he said.

The GS said the draft statutes would be ready by the end of the month and clubs would first scrutinise the changes before FAM inspects it.

“After the inspection, we will call for an EGM where the new statutes will be adopted and ratified,” he said.

FAM GS Suzgo Nyirenda pleaded with Sulom to make sure that the statutes are fully aligned to that of the mother body before the AGM.

Nyirenda dismissed fears that the proposed changes would take away Sulom’s powers.

One of the framers of the Sulom constitution, UK based lawyer Sunduzwayo Madise, who once served as FAM and Sulom president, welcomed the changes but warned that they need to be in line with FAM statutes.

“What I can say is it [Sulom constitution] was modelled on the South African (PSL) and English (EPL) and I remember doing extensive research on them,” Madise said.

“For Sulom, we had an agreement with FAM of professional independence. However, all Sulom statutes must comply with those of FAM. After all, Sulom is an affiliate.”

Another clause that needs amendment is Article 7.4 that states that Sulom’s permanent disciplinary committee is the highest authority.

The article states that; ‘all enquiries, investigations and adjudications into and upon breaches or contraventions of the Sulom constitution or the Rules and Regulations of Sulom, by any member or person shall be conducted, undertaken and made by a disciplinary committee.’

FAM wants the clause to acknowledge that the mother body is the last authority.

Other articles that FAM wants amended are those that give Sulom executive committee voting rights during elections.

Sulom affiliates also want sharing of broadcasting rights. Currently, sponsors TNM have exclusive broadcast rights.

Other changes will also see the statutes spelling out that Sulom president is now FAM executive committee member.