His Worship the Mayor, Councillor Rex Banda
* He has formally invited the FAM leadership to an audience at Lilongwe City Council to discuss the report, ensure that corrective actions are clearly defined
* And to rebuild a working relationship based on mutual respect, emphasising that football is too important for the country’s youth to be derailed by protocol failures
By Khumbo Msambala Salanje, MANA
Lilongwe City Mayor, Councillor Alex Peter Banda, who was disrespected by being physically pushed away from attending the NBS Charity Shield 2026 medal presentation ceremony on Saturday at Bingu National Stadium, has accepted the apology from Football-Association-of-Malawi-(FAM)-issued-yesterday — but made it clear that an apology alone is not enough to close the matter.
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In a public statement issued today, April 20, the Mayor, while thanking FAM for its apology, which it attributed to a “protocol oversight at the operational level,” emphasised that a full and transparent report is required as directed by the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture and the Malawi Local Government Association (MALGA) — declaring that he will not accept any sanitised or evasive account.
The Ministry has demanded a formal report within 48 hours identifying the individuals responsible and explaining the sequence of events, a demand that the Mayor fully supports.
He has formally invited the leadership of FAM to an audience at Lilongwe City Council to discuss the report, ensure that corrective actions are clearly defined, and rebuild a working relationship based on mutual respect — adding that football is too important for the country’s youth to be derailed by protocol failures.
Regarding the event sponsor, NBS Bank, Mayor Banda noted that his office has been in constructive dialogue with the bank recently on several development initiatives for the city.
He stated that he does not want to believe the bank had any hand in the incident unless the report reveals otherwise, and he awaits the report.
The Mayor also expressed deep gratitude to MALGA president, Councillor Isaac Jomo Osman, the Mayor of Blantyre, for his swift and principled statement in defence of local councils and the dignity of the Mayor’s office.
He added that the Mayor of Mzuzu has echoed the same in solidarity and that this strengthens the voice of all local government leaders across Malawi, while agreeing that any future disrespect to any council or mayor must be met with firm action.
On the question of legal action, Mayor Banda stated that he will not be drawn into litigation unless the FAM report reveals deliberate malice, explaining that his duty is to serve the people of Lilongwe, not to escalate unnecessary conflict.
However, he made it clear that he will not tolerate any recurrence of such disrespect to the office of the Mayor.
Concluding his address to the people of Lilongwe, he assured residents that the incident was unfortunate but will not distract the city’s development agenda.
He reaffirmed that the ‘Listening Lilongwe’ initiative continues, including Market Dignity Initiatives, waste-to-wealth programmes, greening projects, and youth enterprise support — and urged the public to accept FAM’s apology, demand accountability, and move forward.
A video clip https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1PdmmytmWS/?mibextid=wwXIfr went viral on social media that captured some overzealous security personnel pushing the Mayor away from approaching the trophy presentation podium after the match.
Meanwhile, https://NBS-Bank-has-distanced-itself-from-the-incident, maintaining that its role in the Charity Shield “is that of a sponsor” and that “every delivery, including programme coordination, protocol arrangements and security management, is undertaken by the organisers and relevant authorities under FAM and FIFA guidelines”.—Edited by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express
