Sports Extra

Super league at 30

 

When fireworks brightened the blue skies and a solid wall of joyous sounds welcomed the New Year last Friday, Super League, the most hunted local football crown, clocked 30 years.

The journey has been unpredictable, keen football follower can surely testify, sometimes dull and often cruel with sponsorship challenges, violence and match fixing scandals dangerously dragging the game into the darkest shores.

 Have won the league a dozen times: Bullets
Have won the league a dozen times: Bullets

Mostly played on muddy and potholed pitches and expectant spectators sitting uncomfortably on rough and sun scorched terraces, this league has managed to stand the test of time to bear unexpected fruits.

The illuminated corners of Greece, the oceanic coasts of South Africa and the cold municipalities of Russia, which have imported Malawian talent before, can bear strong testimonies about Super League being a resilient backbone of local football.

Strikers Esau Kanyenda, Russell Mwafulirwa, Heston Munthali, John Maduka and Dan Chitsulo, defender Clement Kafwafwa all played in Europe. The Chimodzi brothers Young and Tawonga are currently plying their trade in Greece while a bulk of former Super League stars are in South Africa and other African nations.

From the tiny Mzuzu stadium, the dusty Kalulu ground, the ancient Kamuzu Stadium and the torridly hot Chitowe ground, the Super League has also given birth to both heroes and villains.

Despite enjoying uninterrupted sponsorships and being regular competitors, renowned clubs Red Lions, Blue Eagles, Mafco and Moyale Barracks have not won the title and the villains’ cap perfectly fits them.

Eagles recently developed an appetite for recruiting star names to probably improve their success chances with retired midfield ace Peter Mgangira the most famous catch.

Currently, the Police outfit has an assortment of weaponry which includes John Banda, John Malidadi Junior, Charles Ngosi, Wister Phiri and Schumacher Kuwali but could only manage third-place finish this season.

“It’s really disappointing that we have never won the title,” laments Eagles assistant coach Wilson Chidati. “But we are hopeful we can win it with the cohesion in the current squad.”

Over five years ago, the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) transferred top players like striker Victor Phiri from Moyale to Red Lions. The move, widely seen as a desperate army ploy to form one strong force capable of ruling the local football empire, yielded literally nothing.

Meanwhile, the Reds coach Pritchard Mwansa, who himself, failed to succeed in the Super League hunt as a player, admits that the title hunting mission has been a slow and laborious process.

“It’s been a dream that we have been nurturing for a long time now,” said Mwansa, “I think we have been victims of inconsistency over the year. But the dream lives on.”

While other clubs are singing a hymn of hope that someday they be crowned champions, Bullets’ chorus has touches of remarkable lyrics of victory and glory.

The people’s team has won the title for an unassailable 12 times while Silver Strikers are the second most successful side with eight titles and Be Forward Wanderers have won five times while disbanded Escom United won it twice.

According to records, Azam Tigers, disbanded MDC United and Civo United have won the trophy once while Escom United won it twice.

Unveiling the secret to Super League race success, title winning former Silver Strikers goalkeeper S’busiso Padambo says a team must collect at least 30 points in both rounds.

“You need 60 points to be assured of the title because few teams reach that mark. To achieve this you have to be consistent,” Padambo said.

With most teams securing sponsorships and the league, for the first time enjoying sound and continuous financial backing courtesy of TNM, the next 30 years appear to offer massive entertainment and competition. n

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