The back-door qualification by Minister Gangata’s Masters Security into the elite league shouldn’t have been tolerated

* Baka City is the name that should be recognised as promoted into the elite league while Masters Security should be recognised as sponsors until end of season

There is deafening celebration of Masters Security FC’s return into the top flight league, the FDH Bank Premiership, in the 2026 season after buying Baka City’s ‘ownership’ rights — but this back-door qualification shouldn’t have been tolerated.

In the first place, the team got disbanded way back in 2019 when it got demoted from the just recently dissolved TNM Super League and have taken advantage of Baka City’s qualification from the second tier NBS Bank National Division League.

Further intrigue is that Masters Security company is owned by Cabinet Minister Alfred Gangata, who has just been transferred from Natural Resources to the portfolio of Youth, Sports & Culture.

Gangata disbanded the team soon after been demoted from the Super League in 2019 and if he wanted to revive it, he should have followed all procedures by participating in the lower leagues up until earning qualification up the ladder — that’s how it works.

Since he has bought Baka City FC, then that name is the official register for the FDH Bank Premiership and if anything, Masters Security — as a company should come in as sponsors just like FCB Nyasa Big Bullets or Premierbet Dedza Dynamos indicates.

Baka City belonged to the Northern Region Football League where it earned their qualification from the NBS Bank National Division League along with champions Red Lions and runners-up Mitundu Baptist.

Let’s recall the case that took place in 2017when civo-united-sneaked-back-into-tnm-super-league-through-epac/. After being relegated from the 2016 season, Civo United got back into the elite league after Epac FC owner, Dean Josaya, decided to withdraw the team to allow Civo United to remain in the Super League.

It was first reported that Josaya and Civo United officials first discussed a possible merge in order to allow the Malawi government-sponsored side to remain in the top flight league it had been participating for 30 years then dating back to 1986.

Josaya then confirmed that his side would not be playing in the Super League but in Central Region Football League in which they were champions and earned promotion from.

He had indicated that they two clubs “agreed to allow Civo play in the top flight instead of Epac FC [for the 2017 season] because Civo is a big team as to compared with Epac — so it wasn’t right to see the team play in the [lower] Premier Division”.

In order to comply with Football Association of Malawi (FAM) Club Licensing procedures, Civo United had to change its name to Civil Service United.

Ordinarily, this arrangement shouldn’t have been tolerated as it has set a defective precedence that has been utilised by Gangata on behalf of the disbanded Masters Security FC.

Josaya maintained then that “money wasn’t the factor” when he agreed to the deal “but the history behind Civo” — emphasising that teams struggle to come back from lower league once relegated and didn’t want Civo to experience that.

But Baka City are different; they accepted demotion after debuting in the TNM Super League 2024 season by going back to the lower league with heads held high where they welcomed the establishment of the country’s second tier National Division League sponsored by NBS Bank.

Red Lions, who got demoted from the elite league some three season ago after decades of participation, have returned to the top flight with honours by registering their names as inaugural champions of the NBS Bank NDL.

It was an achievement that they can be forgiven to celebrate in whatever style because the NBS Bank NDL was well-contested for by its 12 teams, that included the high intensity participation by runners-up Mitundu Baptist for their debut appearance in the elite league.

Baka City got demoted from the Super League alongside FOMO FC, who also participated in the NBS Bank NDL with vigour as they ended on 4th-position, with just 4 points behind 3rd-placed Baka City.

The Mulanje-based FOMO FC will most definitely go back to the drawing board to devise how to return to the top flight having gained some experience in the NBS Bank NDL along with 5th-placed Namitete Zitha, Ndirande Stars (6th), Bangwe All Stars  (7th) and Ntaja United (8th).

Bangwe All Stars also got demoted from the TNM Super League along with Baka and FOMO — thus building some credence on this new league to be enhanced with four other champions from the Regional Leagues of the North, Central, Eastern and Southern to replace demoted Chintheche United, Mchinji Villa, Chilumba Barracks and Jenda United.

This is how football works — you build and participate to earn promotion through the ranks just as Mitundu Baptist have achieved and deserves their place in the FDH Bank Premiership — not through the back door; NO!