By Twimepoki Mangani

Lilongwe, August 28, Mana: FCB Nyasa Big Bullets have advanced to the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League, for the first time since 2015, after defeating Equatorial Guinea’s Dragon FC 1-0 in the reverse fixture at Bingu National Stadium on Sunday.

Bullets went straight to business soon after kick-off, evidenced by well-worked passes between Precious Phiri and Charles Petro in offense.

Gomezgani Chirwa and Anthony Mfune linked well on the right flank while Gasteni Phodo and Lanjesi Nkhoma were attacking from centre and left respectively.

While Dragon looked nervy throughout most of the first half, Jose Choni gave them a reason to believe when he let fly a dangerous attempt from outside the penalty box which was saved by Bullets goalie Richard Chimbamba.

Dragon continued to threaten and caught Chimbamba out of position in the 20^th minute, but Ludovid Abeso fired wide with an empty goal in front of him.

In the 34^th minute, Bullets Clyde Senaji produced a brilliant pass to Phiri who returned the favour before the ball was squared to Mfune whose shot was saved by Gustave Guireelf in goals for Dragon.

After the break, the match continued to be a balanced affair, but Bullets demonstrated classic defending as they suffocated Dragon’s offensive build-up

The home team’s second half substitutes made the difference, as Patrick Mwaungulu slid in a pass to a fellow sub Ephraim Kondowe, who broke the deadlock in the 67^th minute to throw the stadium into a joyous uproar.

Expressing his thoughts after the match, Calisto Pasuwa, who is head coach for Bullets, said the match was different from the first leg, adding they are in a difficult position with the absence of key players.

“The lead got into our minds no wonder we lost some of the chances we had; however, we shall build from such experience.

“In the first half, we wanted to maintain the game and decided to bring in the offensive players later to finish off the game,” Pasuwa added.

On the other hand, Dragon FC coach Antonio Pancho Milam expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, noting they played a good team in Bullets.

Milam also accused the Equatorial Guinea Football Association for not providing smooth logistics, saying some of his players did not make it to Malawi for the encounter.

With the 3-0 aggregate victory, Bullets will face TP Mazembe of DR Congo in the second round of the CAF Champions League.

Twimepoki Mangani

Lilongwe August 29 Mana: Coach for Extreme FC, Andrew Bunya has expressed optimism that his team can escape TNM Super League relegation if they can claim victories in the 10 remaining games.

Bunya made the remarks following his team’s 1-0 loss after hosting Mighty Tigers at Nankhaka Stadium on Tuesday.

Blessing Juma’s butter fingers, Messiah Kachingwe’s striker and Innocent Nyasulu’s fine penalty save just about summarized the relegation escape themed match.

Mighty Tigers were on top of proceedings from the onset creating as many as three chances before Extreme FC could calmly settle.

Then Alex Kambilinya picked out Precious Chiudza for a cross to Bright Mtondagowa who blast his effort over the bar.

On the other end, Extreme FC began to ask questions through spells from Stephano George, Beston Jimu as well as from defender Gift Daniel. It was a back and forth affair until the close of the half.

Extreme FC came out guns blazing in the second half, as Nyasulu was given little breathing space.

What followed were a sequence of attacks from Chifundo George, Beston Jimu and Gregory Mwase with Nyasulu saving all.

Substitute Messiah kachingwe capitalized on Juma’s mistake in the 71^st minute to slot in the goal.

The ball fumbled out of the keeper’s hands and Kachingwe was quick enough to pounce on it in the process evading central defender Kalema who tried to hook it off the line.

Extreme FC was awarded a penalty in the 85^th minute after Kelvin Banda handed the ball in the box.

Francis Black squared up to take it, however Nyasulu who is arguably the best penalty shot stopper in the League guessed right to save the kick.

In a post-match interview, Bunya expressed disappointment with the result insisting that the defeat is mentally induced as the boys are still stuck on previous victories.

“The boys know we are in a troubled position in the league I wonder why the performance wasn’t at its best.

“However we have 10 games left meaning we could potentially have 30 more points therefore we need to take every game serious just as a cup final,” said Bunya

While Head coach for Mighty Tigers, Christopher Nyambose described the win as vital since it further pushed them away from the drop zone.

Nyambose also highlighted that it was his game plan to have Kachingwe start from the bench as he had anticipated that Extreme FC would have expected him to start along fellow striker Chiudza.

While Mighty Tigers have moved up to number 12 from 13 with 21 points, Extreme remain bottom of the league (16) with 14 points.

Mana/tm/sbn

Twimepoki Mangani

Lilongwe August 26 Mana: Relegation threatened, Extreme Football Club survived the fangs of Silver Strikers as they frustrated the Bankers to a goalless stalemate on Friday at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

Extreme FC carried over confidence from their previous outing in the TNM Super League when they defeated MAFCO FC while Striker Strikers were coming from back to back loses to Red Lions and Bangwe All Stars respectively.

In the first 19 minutes Extreme, were the more composed side as they immediately launched attempts to crack the Silver Strikers defense.

The hosts Strikers, would hold back and take all the counter attacking chances as the game grew on. Adiel Kaduya came close to scoring, when he received a delicious pass from Uchizi Vunga however his effort went straight to the keeper.

Two minutes later, Kaduya was on the end of Emmanuel Muyira’s set piece but once again the chance was put to waste.

In the second period, Silver Strikers continued to mount pressure on the visitors. The 59^th minute was crucial as Frank Sanudi had fouled Duncan Nyoni to concede a penalty however Atusaye Nyondo missed the spot kick.

For most parts of the second half, Extreme FC sat back to absorb the offensive weaponry from Silver Strikers.

Extreme FC had a rock solid defense on the day which was well complemented with outstanding goal keeping from Blessings Juma.

In his post-match interview, Coach for Silver Strikers Pieter De Jogn described the match as yet another outcome in football while also noting the need for collaborated efforts from the entire Silver Strikers faithful to ensure they remain in contention for the league.

“Its football, you either win, draw or lose and today we lost two points and going forward we need support from the supporters and the board because we still have 11 games to go,” he said.

Meanwhile, Coach for Extreme FC, Andrew Bunya echoed the need for his team to keep piling positive results in order to avoid  relegation zone.

“We approached the game well, in the first half we created a lot of chances but struggled to score while in the second half Silver Strikers pressured we as we were a bit relaxed,” Bunya said.

Also reacting to the penalty awarded to Silver and a penalty shout after a foul on Babangida Ishaya Bunya noted the need for the officiation to improve.

Following the result, Silver Strikers are second on the log table with 33 points from 19 games behind FCB Nyasa Big Bullets with 34 points from 19 games while Extreme sit 16^th with 14 points from 19 games.

Twimepoki Mangani

Lilongwe August 11 Mana: The Yellow Submarines, Kamuzu Barracks (KB) claimed three points on Thursday after defeating the Sugar Babies, Dedza Dynamos Salima Sugar FC 2-0 in a TNM Super League showdown at Civo Stadium.

The game began on a backdrop of a noisy reception from curious onlookers who wondered why both teams started play with nine on-field players. In the 15^th minute KB’s Michael Mtonyo and Dedza’s Lameck Gamphani entered field of play to even the numbers while the referee flashed yellow cards to both players.

The match proceeded to extended dull moments when both teams struggled to settle into the game.

The yellow Submarines’ Christopher Mtambo was teasing the Dedza defense from the flanks but his attempted crosses were all neutralized.

Moments later, Dedza’s Charles Chipala dazzled through the KB defense but released a weak shot which Lehman Nthala punched away only to have Gamphani shot wide on the subsequent rebound.

As the game drugged on, KB kept piling chances which disappointedly fell off target. Chipala should have put Dedza up by one in the 42^nd minute, when he took a close ranged shot but Nthala was once again up to the task.

In the second half, Marque striker Clement Nyondo began to find his groove as he constantly exchanged passes with Chipala in attempts to unlock the KB defensive wall.

In the 55^th minute Gregory Nachipo broke the deadlock after calmly slotting home a cross from Olson Kanjira.

Seven minutes later, the Submarines struck again through Hope Namadzunda’s well curved free kick after goalkeeper Anthony Singini caught the ball just outside the penalty area.

Dedza went down fighting and came closest in the 73^rd minute when Victor Lungu and Nyondo’s connection set up substitute Chifuniro Mpinganjira whose effort smashed the goal post for a corner.

Speaking on the side lines of the match, Coach for KB, Alick Chirwa expression satisfaction with the match and is hopeful his men will capitalize on the result.

“It was a difficult match because we were both desperate for a result, but I was able to tell my boys to remain to calm and read the game,” Chirwa said.

His counterpart, Dedza Dynamos Gaffer, Gilbert Chirwa decried the match officiation and called for instant improvements.

“The game was just fine though we missed a lot of chances, however the second goal was orchestrated by the referee because the goalkeeper had not handed the ball as it was claimed,” Chirwa said.

The result elevates KB to position six from eight on 22 points while Dedza Dynamos drop to position 10 from nine with 19 points.

By Austine Kachilika

Mzimba, August 21, Mana: A Mzimba based organisation, Communities in Development Activities (COIDA) has expressed concern over failure by a contractor to complete construction of Chimkusa Stadium in the district on time.

In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Transport and Public Works, Director of Public Procurement, M’mbelwa District Council and other relevant stakeholders, Executive Director for COIDA, Patrick Jonathan Mwale demands an update on the project.

“Failure to complete the stadium on time has adverse effects on public perception and overall development projects. Therefore, we would like to seek clarity on the delay,” he says in the letter.

According to Mwale, the contractor has no adequate materials in stock, blaming it on delayed funding from the government.

M’mbelwa District Council Spokesperson, Joel Phiri said on Monday that the council is also concerned with the failure to complete the project on time.

He said: “Manobec Construction Company wrote a letter of no objection to the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority to request additional funds since the project has been hit with devaluation. The project will continue if the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority acknowledges the letter of no objection.”

Phiri highlighted that failure to complete the project on time has dramatically affected the council’s capacity to generate revenue from the events requiring the facility.

Chimkusa Stadium project commenced in 2018 and was supposed to be completed in 2022. It is projected to be completed in 2024 after failing to meet its mid 2023 deadline.

Lilongwe, August 19, Mana: Blue Eagles suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Moyale Barracks in the TNM Super League on Saturday at Nankhaka Stadium.

Chifundo Damba’s strike in the second half was enough to hand Blue Eagles their 7^th loss of the season, further dampening their campaign, placing them 15^th on the log table with 17 points from 18 games.

The hosts were coming from a 2-2 draw against Bangwe All Stars and were in search of a result to add some sunshine to their gloomy season.

Moyale Barracks initiated the attacks and caused Blue Eagles to do some early defending. They nearly drew first blood in the 10^th minute when Raphael Phiri won the foot race against the host team’s central defenders and over looped the ball over the charging goalie Chakonda Majanga.

Before Blue Eagles’ attackers got into the groove, left back MacDonald Lameck overlapped and tried a shot from distance which went wide.

Half way into the first half, the momentum shifted to the hosts, as attackers Schumaker Kuwali, Chikondi Mvula and Richard Lapson found their footing, exchanging passes and taking turns to test the visiting shot stopper, Jeremiah Simfukwe.

Mvula had a moment when he launched another attack from the right flank, used a perfect dummy to lose his man before laying off a pass to Kuwali whose thunder bolt promising shot smashed into team mate, Christopher Gototo.

The lone goal came in the 65^th minute when a team effort resulted into a cross which Damba who was unmarked, comfortably slotted home at the left post.

Moyale’s Lusekero Malema received his matching orders in the 73^rd minute after receiving his second yellow card.

Speaking in post-match interview, Coach for Blue Eagles, Elia Kananji expressed worry over the team’s current form and also admitted that the absence of players such as Micium Mhone and John Soko who are away on official duty has affected the team.

“Am not sure why we are struggling that’s why we have asked the team’s executive body to have an audience with the players on Tuesday in our absence as coaches,” he said.

Kananji however remains optimistic that the team will turn things around and shall not face relegation.

Meanwhile Coach for Moyale Barracks, Nicholas Mhango urged his squad to continue working hard and build momentum from the victory.

“Our plan was to score early, but we couldn’t and in the second half though the boys were fatigued but I told them to at least score a goal,” he said.

Following the victory, Moyale Barracks sits on position 8 with 22 points from 17 games and 5 wins.

Twimepoki Mangani

Lilongwe August 18 Mana: FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Gaffer, Kalitso Pasuwa has said Bullets will need to dig deep and be on top of their game tactically if they are to salvage a good result against Dragon FC on Sunday at the Malabo stadium when they kick off their 2023 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions league campaign.

For their first preliminary match, Bullets were drawn to play Dragon FC, from Equatorial Guinea on the road followed by a reverse fixture on the 27^th August at Bingu National Stadium.

In an interview, Pasuwa said preparations for the anticipated match have been rolling out smoothly while he also noted that little information is known on their opponent.

“The guys are doing well, the local games are different from international games hence we need to be tactically good as we hope for the best.

“I have played Dragon before on national level however I wouldn’t say I know so much about their style of play,” he said.

Pasuwa highlighted injuries and transfer of players to other clubs as some of the challenges ahead of the regional showpiece but remained optimistic that available players will be up to the task.

“The problem I am having is that we are losing the spine of the team, most of the guys who are regulars and there is nothing we can do however I would have wanted one or two experienced guys around,” Pasuwa added.

While noting that indeed more recruits are joining Bullets, Pasuwa said players are looking for where they can have better livihoods and hence budgets will need to be revised in the future to be at par with the demands of the champions’ league.

Meanwhile Bullet’s Kenyan defender, Clyde Senaji who has frequently played in the champion’s league said the key to such matches is ample preparation while he also relished the opportunity on play on such a stage representing his family, Kenyans and Malawians. 

“I think every player wants to play on this stage, it’s a chance for us all to showcase our talent and these are tactically matches that need discipline from the team.” He said.

Senaji who did not feature in Bullet’s recent match against Extreme due to discomfort confirmed that he is in good shape and fit.

In 2022 Bullets failed a consecutive 4^th time to exceed beyond the preliminary stage of the champions league after facing defeat to Tanzanian’s Simba SC, having previously exited the continental showpiece to Gor Mahia (Kenya), Platinum FC(Zimbabwe) and Amazulu FC(South).

FCB Nyasa Big Bullets departed Malawi on Thursday and is presently in Equatorial Guinea set for the match.

Mana/tm

By George Mponda

Mzuzu, August 17, Mana: Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has with effect from Wednesday August 16, 2023 banned Mzuzu and Civo Stadiums from hosting official elite football matches.

According to a memo which FAM Chief Executive Officer, Alfred Gunda has released, the matches include the Super League and knockout competitions at national level.

"Recently, FAM instituted inspections which were conducted on July 27, 2023, at Mzuzu Stadium as part of the stadium’s assement under FAM Club Licensing. We regret to inform Mzuzu City Council (MCC) that the stadium does not meet the minimum requirements and consequently banned from hosting official matches under FAM,” reads part of the memo.

According to FAM, Mzuzu Stadium has been banned due to poor state of the pitch, official authorized capacity not known, poor players tunnel, missing technical benches, poor condition of perimeter fence, poor dressing rooms, no public address system and dilapidated scoreboard.

For Civo Stadium, the main highlights are non-functional public toilets, official authorised capacity not known, non-functional public address system, poor condition of perimeter fence and lack of scoreboard, among others.

FAM has since appelaed to authorities for both stadiums to initiate renovations after which they will be inspected again upon invitation.

Reacting to the development, Benjamin Thole, Team Manager for Ekwendeni Hammers who use Mzuzu Stadium as their home ground said he was disappointed with the development.

"It has come as a surprise that FAM has decided to close Mzuzu Stadium which is in the similar condition as Dedza and Kasungu stadiums.

“However, we will sit down with officials from Moyale Barracks FC and Mzuzu City Council to map the way forward," Thole said.

Thole said his team might consider using Rumphi Stadium which is he said is costly and the teams is currently already resource challenged.

When contacted, Spokesperson for MCC, McDonald Gondwe said their office has not yet recieved an official communication on the issue.

By George Mponda

Mzuzu, August 17, Mana: Mighty Mukuru Wanderers FC, Wednesday beat Ekwendeni Hammers 2-1 at Mzuzu Stadium, a result which has pushed them to third position on the TNM Super League log table.

From the onset of the match, Wanderers dominated the game as they pushed hard to get a goal.

In the first half, Wanderers’ Vincent Nyangulu collided with Ekwendeni's 18-year-old goalkeeper, Innocent Kamwambi who was rushed to the hospital for medical attention.

Nyangulu later scored the first goal for the Nomads at 57 minutes capitalizing on a blunder by Ekwendeni goal keeper, Micah Chiyenda who substituted Kamwambi.

Vitumbiko Kumwenda added another one at the 65 minutes of game time while Ekwendeni got their consolation through Wongani Lungu at 70 minutes.

The result means the Nomads are now on position three with 32 points while Ekwendeni Hammers are on position six with 25 points. FCB Nyasa Big Bullets are at the summit of the table with 34 points.

Speaking after the game Ekwendeni Hammers' head coach, Elias Chirambo, said they lost the game due to lack of composure by his charges.

"We played well today but the players lacked composure which could have won us this game. Our goalie also gifted our opponents an easy goal and we failed to get back into the game,"Chirambo said.

Mark Harrison, Wanderers Head Coach praised his charges for putting up a wonderful perfomance.

"Despite this being a terrible pitch to play on, the boys played good football, that is why we won the game against Ekwendeni which is a good team," said Harrison.

Wanderers hitman Vincent Nyangulu was voted Player of the Match.

Twimepoki Mangani

Lilongwe, August 16, Mana: Coach for Brave Hearts Ladies, Griffin Kaluwa has called for collaborated efforts in the development of well-rounded skillful female basketball players who will compete in the local leagues as well as represent the country at regional level.

Kaluwa made the sentiments in an interview with Malawi News Agency(MANA) on Wednesday as he analyzed the Brave Hearts Ladies recent invitation trip to South Africa for the Wits Bucks Women Tournament that run from 9^th to 13^th August, 2023.

While acknowledging that Malawi has teams that can compete at regional level such as Arkangels, Katana, Mystics and Kukoma Eagles, he admitted that the Malawian level of competition is not at par with that of South Africa which has good facilities, coaches and a pool of ladies to choose from.

“Our grass root development is not very good; we don’t have a lot of ladies playing basketball. Last year, for the national team, we could not easily find a tactically gifted point guard and that has always been an issue for us.

“We need to drill kids that can handle the ball intelligently, to put their mates in positions to excel because relying completely on players from other countries to fill out positions is not always healthy,” he said.

Kaluwa described the Bucks tourney as competitive as it offered ladies a chance to show case their talent.

He hopes such tournaments may also be staged in the country.

“We topped our group but lost to Corinthians BWA (35-32) an all-star team that was really good. We made tactically mistakes but we were also fatigued due to playing five games in two days since we arrived when the competition had already started,” Kaluwa said.

Bravehearts have three international players on academic scholarships; Mary Shibweche and Riana Damaris who was voted all Star, are from Kenya; Orlin Londo is Tanzanian while scouting is also being done in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Tanzania.

Captain of Bravehearts, Tama Mazulu hailed the experience of playing teams from South Africa and hopes their team prepare enough to shine in the upcoming Braveheart’s International Basketball Championship (BIBC).

“BWA is a fantastic team, our game with them was a thrill to watch. Saying we didn’t learn from our loss wouldn’t be smart, it’s actually a step forward to improving our game ahead of the BIBC,” Mazulu said.

The BIBC tournament which will attract teams from Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania is set for September 7-9, 2023.

In the group stage of the tourney, Bravehearts beat Hornets 75-20, defeated Wits University 38-28, topped MSE Queens 59-13, conquered VAAL University of Technology 42-21 and won against Phoenix Flames 35-23.