Uncertainty surrounds nomads, bankers replay

Uncertainty surrounds the plan to wind up the TNM Super League 2012/13 season this Sunday as Silver Strikers and Mighty Wanderers yesterday appealed to FAM against the recent Super League of Malawi (Sulom) appeals committee verdict.

The appeals committee’s ruling has reduced the ban for the Bankers and the Nomads to six and four competitive games respectively.

Silver general secretary Mike Tembo yesterday confirmed appealing against the punishment, which include a K5.2 million (US$12 440) fine for the violence that punctuated what would have been the league title decider between the two teams at Balaka Stadium on December 28 2013. The Nomads were fined K700 000 (US$1 674).

Wanderers legal counsel and GS David Kanyenda also challenged Sulom that they were an interested party in the case hence unfit to determine the case.

He added that, in the unlikely event that the verdict is upheld, the appeals committee must consider reducing the penalties as the Nomads lack sponsorship, that forfeiture of points puts them at relegation risk and that their players were absolved of blame for the violence, yet they would be denied income.

“The decision to replay the match is unacceptable in light of the clear findings that Silver

Strikers caused the abandonment of the match. In fact, the Sulom president had declared that the match would be replayed even before the hearing took place. We, therefore, doubt the independence and impartiality of the tribunal that determined the matter at Sulom level. We believe it was constituted to rubber-stamp decisions made by the executive committee of Sulom,” he said.

FAM chief executive secretary Suzgo Nyirenda yesterday said his office was yet to receive the appeals and that if they came, the disciplinary, appeals and court of arbitrations committees would hear out the two teams’ appeals.

“The clubs may challenge the impartiality of the Sulom appeals committee, maybe because it was appointed by Sulom, but people have to bear in mind that, just like us our appeals committee, we appoint independent judges, they use their judgements and we are never involved in the determination,” Nyirenda advised.

Lawyer Felix Tambulasi chaired the appeals committee which arrived at the sanctions against Wanderers and Silver over two days from January 19 2014.