* Raised from K4,000 as Grade 1 as pegged by SULOM at beginning of TNM Super League 2024 to K7,000 for Saturday’s clash
* Grade 1 was for matches involving 2023 champions Nyasa Big Bullets, runners-up Silver Strikers and third-place Mighty Wanderers
By Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express & Charles Nkhoma, MANA
At the start of the TNM Super League 2024, Super League of Malawi (SULOM) introduced grades for game tickets in which matches involving 2023 champions Nyasa Big Bullets, their runners-up Silver Strikers and third-place Mighty Wanderers were pegged at K4,000 as Grade 1.
Grade 2 was pegged at K3,000 a ticket for last season’s 4th-placed Chitipa United; Kamuzu Barracks (5th); Bangwe All Stars (6th); Dedza Dynamos (7th); Civil Service United (8th) and Karonga United (9th).
Grade 3 was at K2,000 are games involving MAFCO (10th last season); Mighty Tigers (11th); Mzuzu City Hammers (12th); Moyale Barracks (13th); and promoted sides, Baka City; FOMO FC and Creck Sporting Club.
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These ticket grades were followed throughout the season, but for the much anticipated and all-important clash against Nyasa Big Bullets on Saturday, Silver Strikers FC at their home turf, Silver Stadium, the Bankers tickets have been raised to K7,000 for the Standard open stands and K15,000 VIP stand.
Fans have cried foul over the high ticket prices with some suggesting that maybe SULOM might be trying to regulate attendance, given the match’s significant implications for the league standings.
But SULOM general secretary, Donnex Chilonga clarified that ticket pricing is not solely determined by SULOM but also involves the stadium owners — and he speculated that the decision might be influenced by the limited capacity of Silver Stadium, aimed at managing crowd numbers.
“I will provide more detailed information after consulting Silver Strikers to see if any adjustments can be made,” Chilonga promised.
Silver Strikers are currently leading the TNM Super League table with 57 points, while Mighty Wanderers FC follow closely in second place with 53 points.
This fixture is expected to play a significant role in shaping the league’s outcome as with five more games to wrap up the season, the Bankers will amass a maximum of 72 if they win all of them.
While at 53 points from from 26 games, Mighty Wanderers will accumulate a maximum 65 points if they will the remaining four assignments.
The only chance for 2nd-placed Mighty Wanderers to win the TNM Super League 2024 title, takes the leaders Silver Strikers to drop points in their remaining matches of the campaign.
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Coming from national assignments with Malawi Flames the whole of last week till Monday as one of the interim coaching panel in the last assignments of the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) Morocco 2025 qualifiers, Silver Strikers’ coach Peter Mponda went back to base to lead a sharp side in the quest for the title, which has eluded them for a long time.
The goals were from Innocent Shema (7′), a brace from Gift Chunga (41′, 50′), Misheck Selemani (79′), Chimwemwe Idana (85′) as well as an OG by MAFCO’s Steve Mkweza (62′), whose teammate, Yohane Malunga scored the consolation in the 67th.
All eyes will be on Mponda and Nyasa Big Bullets’ mentor, Kalisto Pasuwa as they were together on national duty as interim coaches following the dismissal of Patrick Mabedi after the Flames’ poor performance in the AfCON Morocco 2025 qualifiers.
Men in charge, Pasuwa and Mponda
Mabedi was fired following four consecutive losses in the qualifiers that saw them out of contention for the Morocco finals in which they suffered 2-3 loss to Burundi, 1-3 to Burkina Faso and back-to-back 0-4 and 0-1 against Senegal — conceding 11 goals while only scoring 3.
In just the two remaining ceremonial matches in five days, the Flames — under Pasuwa and Mponda as 1st assistant and Pritchard Mwansa as the 2nd, the team managed 3 goals from the 0-0 draw with Burundi on Thursday and 3-0 win over Burkina Faso yesterday, while keeping a clean slate.
Rejected by fired Mabedi, South Africa-based Gabadinho Mhango proved it’s not his age or lack of form that the former mentor didn’t want him in his plans, but something else — when he scored the first goal yesterday in the 26th minute and complemented by Richard Mbulu (57’) and Lloyd Aaron (61’).
So, the attention will be on the two mentors as Mponda will continue aiming to safeguard his team’s lead in the title fight by earning full points, while the same full points need to keep Pasuwa’s side at the respectable 3rd place as it is also being chased for by 4th-placed Mzuzu City Hammers.
The two share 44 points but the TNM Super League defending champions have three games in hand as they have played 25 while the Hammers have completed 28, remaining with just two games.
Exactly 427 days since their last defeat in the TNM Super League, Silver Strikers are now unbeaten in each of their last 34 matches in the competition (W22 D12), setting a new record for the longest run of games without defeat for the club in the league’s history.
The Bankers are unbeaten in the 25 games played in this campaign, in which they won 16 and drew nine, scoring 50 goals while conceding 14. The second highest scorers are Mighty Wanderers with 52 goals in which they also conceded 14.
Silver Strikers goalkeeper George Chikooka was declared by Super League of Malawi (SULOM) to have secured the TNM Super League 2024 Golden Gloves with 6 games still to play for the Bankers before the triumph against MAFCO in which he conceded a goal.
Meanwhile, after losing 0-1 loss to Mighty Wanderers on Wednesday, Bangwe All Stars are still looking behind their shoulders in their fight to escape relegation as FOMO FC, who were 15th ahead of their match against 6th-placed Creck Sporting Club, won 1-0 through Hassan Hussen’s 20th minute goal.
The Mulanje-based side have kept alive their fight against relegation as they have moved to 14th with 25 points with five games left. They have a game in hand against Bangwe All Stars and if they collect maximum points in their remaining three assignments, they will collect 34 points.
Bangwe All Stars are 13th with 27 points, remaining with 2 games to wrap up the 2024 campaign, which if they manage to win both, they will amass maximum 33 points — thus pushing Bangwe All Stars to relegation.
While maximum for 14th-placed Karonga United (23 points) is 32, also remaining with three games. Already relegated Baka City drew 1-1 with Dedza Dynamos this afternoon, who remain 11th with 35 points but have chances of getting into the top eight if they win their remaining two games if those ahead of them drop points.
Qualification of the Airtel Top 8 2025 has leaders Silver Strikers (at 57); 2nd-placed Mighty Wanderers (at 53); Nyasa Big Bullets (3rd/44); Mzuzu City Hammers (4th/44); Civil Service United (5th/39); Creck Sporting (6th/38); Karonga United (7th/38); MAFCO (8th/38); Kamuzu Barracks (9th/37) and Moyale (10th/36); and Dedza Dynamos (11th/35).
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