Banned referee fears for his life
Suspended football referee Arthur Chilimba is living in fear after unknown people threatened to take unspecified action against him.
Chilimba, who was summoned by the Anti- Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday over match-fixing allegations he made, claimed that he had reported the matter to Area 36 Police.
He claimed that eight unidentified men invaded his parents’ compound in Area 36 searching for him.
“My life is in danger as people are after me. My relative alerted me to the danger as the people searched for me in every room in the house. I think I am not safe here in Lilongwe.
“Unfortunately, I can’t leave for another city as officials from ACB indicated that they might need me at any time. I even alerted Football Association of Malawi (Fam) General Secretary [Alfred Gunda] who advised me to report the matter to Malawi Police Service,” he said.
Lilongwe Police spokesperson Joseph Kachikho confirmed that Chilimba sought Police’s intervention.
“We advised him to come formally so that we should record his statement,” he said.
Gunda said Chilimba had notified him about the incident.
“It is unfortunate that this happened. He indeed texted me and we believe that he will be safe,” Gunda said.
Chilimba was slapped with a three-year ban for soliciting funds.
He later threatened to spill the beans after threatening to expose officials and teams involved in match-fixing.
However, Chilimba called off his press briefing following his meeting with Fam officials
Peter Fote is a Sports Journalist with huge experience in radio and Television reporting, production and presentation. He once worked with Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and is currently working for Times Media Group.
