* As 2nd-placed Mighty Wanderers keep their slim title chase by beating Bangwe All Stars 1-0
* While FOMO FC beat Creck Sporting to keep alive their fight against relegation against Bangwe All Stars
By Duncan Mlanjira
The only chance for 2nd-placed Mighty Wanderers to win the TNM Super League 2024 title, takes leaders Silver Strikers to drop points in their remaining matches of the campaign — but the Bankers will have none of it so far.
They have thumped 8th-placed MAFCO 6-1 this afternoon to take their tally to 57 points from 25 matches, with five more to go from which is they win all, they will amass a maximum of 72.
While Mighty Wanderers beat 13th-placed Bangwe All Stars 1-0 through Misheck Botomani ‘s 33th minute goal to garner 53 points from 26 games, and if they will the remaining four assignments, they will collect a maximum 65 points.
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 led 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.
The 0-1 loss to Mighty Wanderers have left Bangwe All Stars 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.
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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).
Action continues on Saturday in which game of the day will be between Silver Strikers and Nyasa Big Bullets — with an eye on the coaches for both sides, Mponda and his counterpart, Kalisto Pasuwa — who 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.
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.
Men in charge, Pasuwa and Mponda
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, all eyes 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.
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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.
The Bankers are still unbeaten in the 25 games played 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.
