* Despite intervention of Ministry of Sports intervenes which authorised FAM to allow the match exclusively for the launch and not to be construed as general approval of the venue for elite matches
* Following a request from sponsors FDH Bank regarding the impasse between SULOM and FAM as the country’s mother football governing body insisted Kamuzu Stadium should remain closed
* Police forced to fire tear gas to disperse frustrated fans as the postponement of the celebratory start of the FDH Bank Premiership 2026 season descended into chaos
By Duncan Mlanjira
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has stood its ground by ordering officiating personnel from attending to the launch match of the FDH Bank Premiership between Mighty Wanderers and Karonga United that was to take place at Kamuzu Stadium, which the country’s mother football governing body declared closed as not fit to host elite matches.
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This is despite intervention of Ministry of Sports, Youth & Culture which authorised FAM to allow the match be played exclusively for the launch and not to be construed as general approval of the venue for elite matches.
The Ministry was acting on behalf of the sponsors FDH Bank who made the request after an impasse between Super League of Malawi (SULOM) and FAM, who were insisting Kamuzu Stadium should remain closed.
Everything was set for the launch that was to be graced by Sports Minister Alfred Gangata, who arranged for a meeting with FAM president, Fleetwood Haiya, SULOM boss Brigadier General Gilbert Mittawa, Blantyre City Mayor, Isaac Jomo Osman, but to no avail.
When the match was finally postponed, police were forced to fire tear gas to disperse frustrated fans, who had paid to watch was was to be celebratory start of the FDH Bank Premiership 2026 season through a landmark five-year K1 billion sponsorship.
Hours before match as FAM insisted Kamuzu Stadium remains closed until all comprehensive inspection is completed and a formal determination is made on its compliance status in line with Club Licensing requirements, Secretary for Sports, Youth & Culture, Jameson Ndalama issued a statement that for the purpose of launching the FDH Bank Premiership, the match should be allowed to take place.
“Kamuzu Stadium shall remain closed immediately after the event to allow completion of all required rehabilitation works in line with FAM standards,” said the Ministry, which are owners of the facility.
The Ministry put up a strict condition that SULOM should “ensure the provision of adequate temporary sanitation facilities, including mobile units, to meet minimum health and safety requirements”.
All stakeholders were ordered to “comply with any additional technical directives issued by FAM in line with its regulatory authority”, while emphasising that the authorisation was issued “in good faith, aimed at protecting a significant national football investment, preserving stakeholder confidence and preventing reputation Al and financial damage to Malawian football”.
Ndalama further emphasised that the Ministry’s position on the impasse that was created between SULOM and the mother football governing body “does not or substitute FAM’s authority, but rather calls for a pragmatic time-bound administrative decision with FAM’s own regulatory discretion, consistent with its ob under FIFA Statutes”.
“Failure to reach a reasonable resolution risks undermining sponsor confidence and may have serious long-term consequences for football development in Malawi,” said the Ministry, which indicated that it acted having received communication from the sponsors, FDH Bank regarding the impasse between the two football governing bodies.
“The Ministry fully recognises and respects the statutory autonomy of FAM as the recognised governing body of football in Malawi, operating under the framework and statutes of FIFA.
“Accordingly, the Ministry shall not interfere with technical or regulatory deci that fall within FAM’s jurisdiction. However, in exercising its broader mandate to safeguard public interest, national sporting development, and the integrity of strategic sponsorships within the sports sector.”
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