Nyasa Big Bullets edge closer to the top as they occupy 3rd position

* Ahead of Wanderers who are playing this afternoon against bottom of the table Bangwe All Stars

* Moyale on 5th could overtake the defending champions if they beat Dedza United this afternoon

* Silver whip MAFCO 5-1 to take the lead as Wanderers need to win by 4 goals to nil to reclaim top spot

By Duncan Mlanjira

From 8th position in Week 1 of the TNM Super League 2024 after drawing 1-1 with Dedza United, followed by 11th in Week 2 after another draw 0-0 with Mighty Tigers and 6th after beating Chitipa United 3-0,  champions Nyasa Big Bullets edge closer to the top as they occupy 3rd position.

This follows their 2-1 win over debutantes from Karonga, Baka City at Kamuzu Stadium in which they were given a scare after the visitors’ Geoffrey Mwakyembe netted in the 13th minute and the champions had to dig deep to equalise eight minutes later — 21st by Ephraim Kondowe before Chawanangwa Gumbo’s 43rd minute lead.

Meanwhile, Silver Strikers have deposed Mighty Wanderers from the top following their 5-1 massacre of MAFCO yesterday (Binwell Katinji (P) 34′; Adiel Kaduya  49′, 55′; Tatenda M’balaka  67′ and Patrick Macheso 90+5) with Marshall Mapuwa being the first to find the net in the 13th minute.

But Wanderers are playing this afternoon against bottom of the table Bangwe All Stars at Mpira Stadium and they need to win by 4 goals to nil to reclaim top spot on goal difference as the Nomads have 7 points with the Bankers having 10 after four games.

Moyale, who are 5th, could overtake Nyasa Big Bullets if they beat Dedza United this afternoon as they have six points from three games while the champions have 8 from four games.

Also certain to push out Bullets from the 3rd position are Kamuzu Barracks who are 7th with 5 points and date Civil Service at Civo Stadium this afternoon.

Creck Sporting, who led for two weeks, have been further pushed to 6th position from 5th in Week 3 having lost 1-2 against Mzuzu City Hammers in which the trailed 0-2 (Erick Kaonga 26′ and Isaac Msiska  56′) all the way until George Chaomba claimed the consolation in 90’+5’.

There will all to fight for this season as TNM Plc has increased sponsorship of the Super League by 350% from K150 million to K500 million, of which the winner shall receive K100 million with the runners-up going home with K40 million and third place at K30 million.

From the package, K176 million will go towards teams’ prizes with with K10 million to individual awards and K160 million towards teams’ subventions — with each team pocketing K10 million.

TNM has also set aside K50 million for grassroots football, a development Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Fleetwood Haiya described that it will play a key role in fulfilling the FAM’s key strategic pillar on youth football development.

So the race is on to dethrone defending champions, Nyasa Big Bullets, who won the title last year for the 5th consecutive seasons — their 17th since the top flight league was formed in 1986.

Last season, they won a historic quadruple — the TNM Super League, FDH Bank Cup, Castel Challenge Cup, the Airtel Top 8 as well as the season opener, the FAM NBS Bank Charity Shield 2023.

They have also won this year’s FAM NBS Charity Shield after beating Silver Strikers through post-match penalties.