Chitipa United have said TNM’s decision to withdraw from sponsoring the Malawi Super League is a blessing in disguise to the club as the newcomers will play their first Super League home game at the under-construction Karonga Stadium.
Chitipa United general secretary Marshall Mwenechanya revealed this in an interview with Malawi24, saying TNM’s withdrawal will allow contractors to complete the Karonga Stadium before the league kicks off.
“The TNM sponsorship withdrawal will positively affect Chitipa United in the sense that our home ground which is Karonga United is under construction and the sponsorship withdrawal will act as our chance to speed up things so that when the league kicks off the construction of the infrastructure is also done,” Mwenechanya told Malawi24.
Mwenechanya was however quick to say that the TNM Super League sponsorship withdrawal is a very sad development and has come when the football fraternity needed the company.
Karonga stadium is the only stadium which is close to Chitipa United and which can host Super League matches but if it is not completed by the time the league kicks off, the league newcomers will be forced to play their first home games at Mzuzu Stadium.
When asked what the pull out means to Malawian football, he said that this will teach a lesson to clubs to be sticking to what was agreed in a contract.
“We need to stick to what we agreed upon and I believe that this move will at least bring unity at all the levels,” Mwenechanya said.
TNM withdrew its sponsorship of the Super League following a complaint from Competition and Fair Trading Commission that stated that the conditions attached in the contract between TNM and Super League of Malawi (Sulom) were not good for the development of the game.
Their ten year partnership with Sulom would have ended this year after 2017 season.
The 2017 season was scheduled to kick off on 8th April but with TNM suspending its funding, Sulom have no choice but to shift the kickoff date to a later date.
Meanwhile, the northern region side says it is working vigorously to make sure that everything has been worked on before the kick-off of the league.
“We are still fighting hard to make sure that everything is in the right track before the league kicks off and this also includes club licensing infrastructure and other small things that require good preparations,” he said.
