BNS renovations impress Fam boss

By Peter Forte

Football Association of Malawi (Fam) President Walter Nyamilandu has hailed the government for renovating Bingu National Stadium.

The venue was recently declared unfit to host 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers, forcing Fam to use South Africa’s Orlando Stadium as home-ground for the Flames.

Nyamilandu made the remarks after the venue hosted the Airtel Top 8 Cup semifinal between Civil Service United and Silver Strikers.

“The stadium management has done well in bringing back the face of the country’s magnificent stadium to its original state. It was a beauty to watch the game at Bingu [National Stadium]. No more excuses; the facility is back to its nice state. The playing surface looks fantastic,” he said.

Nyamilandu said they were looking forward to using the venue for international games and high-profile local matches.

“We will write Fifa and Caf to inspect the stadium. We will no longer spend money on hiring international venues in, say, South Africa as we did in the just ended World Cup qualifiers,” he said.

BNS Manager Ambilike Mwaungulu said the government was committed to improving the condition of the facility.

“This is the best stadium in the country and we are working on finalising some small works to bring it back to its full state,” he said.

Silver Chief Executive Officer Thokozani Chimbali echoed Nyamilandu’s remarks.

“I saw a very good playing surface, better than it was some months ago. They seem to have filled the gaps which Fifa and Caf highlighted during inspection. The stadium failed to meet the standards twice,” he said.