Super League of Malawi (Sulom) says this weekend’s mouthwatering fixture between Silver Strikers and Nyasa Big Bullets will still go ahead on Saturday despite calls from the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) to have the fixture shifted to another date.
FAM wants the game shifted as it is clashing with the Malawi Under 20 game against South Africa which will also be played on Saturday.
Bullets will be visitors to Silver Strikers in a top of the table clash at Silver Stadium and just kilometers away from the venue, Flames Under 20 will be hosting Amajita of South Africa in the second leg of African Cup of Nations qualifier, a match which the boys will need more home support in order to dismantle the visitors.
However, it is very likely that the majority of spectators will switch to Area 47, a situation which will force the Under 20 to play in an empty stadium.
The development forced the FA to ask Sulom to shift the fixture to Sunday, 22nd July, 2018 but the request has been turned by the top flight administrators who say FAM has the Super League fixtures but decided not to communicate despite knowing that the return leg for the Junior Flames was on 21st July, 2018.
The decision to have the two fixtures played on the same date has attracted comments from soccer loving Malawians who are urging the two bodies to stop playing games for the sake of Malawian football.
One renowned football fanatic, who work for Times Group of Companies, Madalitso Musa said: “Those who administer football in Malawi must cease to suspend their thinking. Take, for instance, the inept decision of scheduling a game between Silver Strikers on a day the national U-20 team have a crucial fixture. Only rare Bullets and Silver fan would forgo the match to attend the Flames U-20 game.
“Actually, the U-20 game should have been at a smaller stadium such as Silver or MDC so that the stadium is filled and the boys are given support by vocal fans. Well, as they say, common sense is not common,” said Musa.
Another renowned soccer commentator Kimu Kamau has urged FAM and Sulom to sit down as one family for the sake of the Junior Flames who badly needs more support from Malawians.
