Football Association of Malawi (Fam) has joined forces with Super League of Malawi to eradicate acts of hooliganism and violence during football matches.
The two bodies held a workshop at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Sunday, when supporters’ leadership from all the 16 Super League teams were trained ahead of the 2024 season, which kicks off on Saturday.
Fam Competitions and Marketing Committee Chairperson Felister Dossi said they teamed up with Sulom to ensure the safety of stakeholders at football venues.
“The aim of the meeting was to update and prepare the supporters on their roles at match venues ahead of the new football season. Initially, Sulom started the exercise last season and we felt that we should join them as we also run a number of competitions. Our goal is to make our venues safe for every stakeholder, be it sponsors, players or fans. They should all feel free and secure,” Dossi said.
Dossi said they intend to make the exercise an ongoing activity to enable stakeholders to review incidents and progress.
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“This should not be a once-off thing. We need to be meeting a number of times in a season to make sure that concerns are being addressed and incidents sorted out,” she said.
She also disclosed that discussions with potential sponsors to reward outstanding and well-behaved supporters are underway.
“Once we finalise the discussions, we will outline everything in detail. Otherwise, we have been encouraging potential sponsors to reward the 12th player [supporter],” Dossi said.
During the interface, supporters also voiced out their concerns and pledged to help curb acts of violence and hooliganism.
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Mighty Mukuru Wanderers National Supporters Committee Chairperson Mervin Nkunika, speaking on behalf of the supporters, said they are committed to curbing violence at football matches.
“We want our stadiums to be safe for everyone whether a team wins or loses. As supporters, I believe we know each other well to control one another. We do not want police officers to go to football grounds fully armed as if they are going to the battlefield. Similarly, we do not need bouncers to be part of the security system as they induce violence too,” Mkunika said.
