Nomads tired of wandering

Barely 11 days before the Standard Bank Cup final, Malawi’s cup specialists Mighty Wanderers have already started playing mind games.

The Nomads have threatened the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) that they will not play the final against Civo United unless they are compensated by the association for their trips to Lilongwe.

Wanderers general secretary Mike Butao told one of Malawi’s daily papers that the Nomads’ trips to Lilongwe are becoming more costly.

“We do not have a problem playing at Civo or anywhere, but it is becoming quite a costly exercise for us now. Hope FAM will note this and compensate us for transport and accommodation, at least.

“In the Standard Bank Cup alone, out of four games the finals will be our third game in Lilongwe after playing Mafco and Blue Eagles there already. That’s K5m in costs alone for three games,” said Butao.

However, FAM Cup competition chairman Jabba Alide dismissed Wanderers’ demand saying the Nomads are aware of the cup rules and regulations and defended the decision of the committee to have the finals at Civo stadium.

“At Civo, we are looking at issues of capacity, accessibility and security in general as we expect a large number of fans to watch the game. We have looked at several factors,” Alide was quoted by the daily paper.

Alide added that they consulted with the cup sponsor before telling the nation the stadium which will host the standard bank finals.

“People have their own interests. Threats are becoming a bit of a problem at the stadium (Kamuzu Stadium) because of the campaign period. I’m not saying this is the only reason. Of course, we consult and agree with the sponsors,” said Alide.

Civo United and Mighty Wanderers will battle it out for the ten million Kwacha trophy in the Standard Bank Cup final on November 1 this year at Civo Stadium in Lilongwe.