Wanderers complain over gate collections
The inaugural Be Forward Football Tournament organising committee has dismissed Mighty Wanderers’ complaint that the K150 000 each of the four participating teams received at Civo Stadium was peanuts.
Wanderers’ vice-general secretary Chris Kananji told The Nation on Monday that the amount was on the lower side considering the high cost of preparations for the Lilongwe trip. On his Facebook wall, a Silver Strikers player also complained that K2 500 appearance fee given to each player was laughable.
“We are disappointed as we spent a lot on preparations. The organisers did not consider us. The sponsors pumped in K7 million and K3 million went into prizes. Combined with the gate takings, surely the clubs deserved a better cut,” Kananji complained.
However, it has transpired that the organising committee, comprising chairperson Dini Josaya Banda, treasurer Tiya Somba Banda and secretary Rashid Mtelela, gave the Nomads and Bullets K1 million each for transport, preparation and accommodation.
Additionally, for finishing third after edging out the Bullets in a third-place play-off, Wanderers pocketed K500 000 whereas the Bullets received K250 000. In total, the Nomads pocketed K1 650 000.
In reaction, Mtelela insisted that Wanderers have no issue as their teams had representation in the committee. Kananji was also in the committee.
“Both Big Bullets and Mighty Wanderers placed a representative in the organising committee and these representatives attended all the committee’s meetings [before, during and after the tournament],” Mtelela said in an emailed response.
“The committee’s responsibility, inter alia, was to plan activities and cost them. Any cost pertaining to the preparation of the tournament was taken care of and given to all the teams. K150 000 given to the teams was money which was surplus after all the expenses were settled,” wrote Mtelela
Silver won the tournament after seeing off Epac through an own goal having earlier also shrugged off Big Bullets on Friday in the semi-final through yet another own goal. Epac had defeated Wanderers through post-match penalties on Friday to make the final cut.
