Caught between a rock and a hard place, Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has opted to kick off the 2016 TNM Super League this Saturday, April 16, but with 14 teams as it is sorting out issues surrounding two remaining teams.
Sulom general secretary Williams Banda said the kick-off cannot wait for the two teams to be identified.
“Delaying the kick-off any further will affect the football calendar,” Banda said in an interview on Sunday.
Meanwhile, champions Nyasa Big Bullets will host Moyale Barracks at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre in the sponsorship re-launch match.
Banda said the full fixtures would be released later.
Simama Premier League champions Chilumba Barracks were supposed to join the Super League alongside Chipiku Central Region champions Dwangwa and Southern Region counterparts Max Bullets.
However, the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) has stopped Chilumba due to what training officer Alick Mhone described as financial constraints.
Karonga United, who finished as runners up, are expected to replace Chilumba.
Airborne Rangers, Wizards FC and Dedza Young Soccer Saints are expected to resume play-offs to identify the 16th team.
Meanwhile, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) was on Sunday finalising licensing clubs that will participate in the 2016 TNM Super League.
Club licensing manager Casper Jangale said they would release the list of clubs that have been licensed today.
“The first instance body met over the weekend to assess all the Super League teams. We expected them to release the results of the assessment by close of business,” he said.
