Football supporters have vowed to go to the streets to support Super League players’ demonstrations if football administrators in the country fail to provide dates for the resumption of Super League games.
On Tuesday, Super League players through the Football Players Association (FPA) threatened to demonstrate if Football Association Malawi (FAM) and Super League of Malawi (Sulom) fail to decide on the dates for football to resume six weeks after the 2020/2021 season was put on hold due to resurgence of Covid-19 cases.
However, as political parties continue to hold primary elections for the forthcoming by-elections in some parts of the country, the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 has once again refused to allow sports to resume, saying the newly gazzeted rules on Covid-19 preventative measures remain intact until they decide to ease some of the restrictions.
The delay has once again triggered anger among football supporters who, through their leaders, have threatened to join the players’ demonstration if dates will not be announced by the end of this week.
“We should commend our players for coming up with this decision. We have to warn our football administrators that if they fail to provide the dates for the resumption of football by the end of the week, we will join the players to demonstrate against them.
“They didn’t consult us when they decided to suspend football and now we are finding it very difficult to convince government to allow us to resume games. We are giving them days to respond and failure to do this will see us going to the streets,” Nyasa Big Bullets Supporters General Secretary Mabvuto Chiwambo was quoted by Zodiak Radio Station.
Mighty Wanderers Supporters General Secretary Sam Mponda also echoed Chiwambo’s words, saying he will mobilize thousands of people to demonstrate in support of the Super League players.
“We are tired with how we are being treated in the country. It’s business as usual in all markets and shopping malls but we are not allowed to play games, who advised them that you can only find Covid-19 at football venues? We will come out in large numbers to demonstrate if we remain suspended,” he said.
On his part, Silver Strikers Supporters Chairman Kingsley Malaya wondered as to why political campaigns are taking part across the country when football teams are being denied the chance to resume games in empty stadiums.
“We don’t know what we did to the authorities to deserve this treatment. Of late, we have seen political parties campaigning for the forthcoming by-elections but they can’t even allow us to play in an empty Stadium. What is happening? I feel like they are targeting someone and we are just the victims of the circumstances.
“Players are suffering because their bread and butter comes from football, why should they keep on delaying us when they are free to do what they want? This is very strange and we are pleading with the authorities to think about the welfare of the players,” he added.
Meanwhile, FAM and Sulom officials are yet to comment on the latest development.
The 2020/2021 season was delayed for about eight months when Government declared state of national disaster in March last year after the country had registered its first Covid-19 case.
In September, Government eased some of the restrictions and allowed sports to resume only to for Sulom to halt the season as cases kept on rising.
