Gate revenue fraud exposed
As gate revenue fraud continues to haunt Malawi football, disturbing details have emerged on how some officials conspire to steal money during the games.
At Civo Stadium on Saturday during the Chifundo Charity Shield match involving Nyasa Big Bullets and Be Forward Wanderers, The Daily Times uncovered some covered stands multiple tickets with the same serial numbers, an indication that some officials tampered with the match-day tickets.
No one has been arrested in connection with the tickets in question. On top of the fake tickets, some security personnel (police) entrusted to manage the gates were reportedly aiding some fans into the stadium at minimum cost of K500.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that some Football Association of Malawi (Fam) officials and police are linked with the ticket scandal that happened at the stadium.
Some eyewitnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that some Fam officials were linked with the selling of some tickets with multiple serial numbers.
Fam outsourced a firm, Fellowship Association of Malawi (Fama) to manage the gates during the game.
An official from Fama confirmed that he was equally frustrated with security lapse at the stadium with some fans entering through uncharted routes.
Fam Commercial and Marketing Director, Limbani Matola, yesterday promised to come back to this reporter, a thing he never did. Fam General Secretary, Suzgo Nyirenda, could not be reached for a comment.
Meanwhile, the Chifundo Charity Shield between two traditional rivals, Bullets and Wanderers grossed K11, 477, 000 in gate revenue.
The 15,000 seater stadium was almost full to capacity with advance tickets for open stands selling at K1,000 and K2,000 during the match-day whereas an advance covered stands ticket was at K3 000.
On match-day, covered stands ticket was going at K4, 500 with the VIP ticket selling at K5,000 advance and match day K7,500.
Fam spent an estimated K9 million in arranging the Charity Shield aimed at raising funds for Kamuzu Central Hospital. The match also aimed at wooing people to donate blood.
Bullets won the match 2-0 to clinch the inaugural Fam Charity Shield. The
People’s Team scored through Muhammad Sulumba and Chiukepo Msowoya.
Last week, Fam complained that many high-profile fans abused their power to enter for free at 200-capacity Kamuzu Stadium VIP Stand, where only 93 paid up to watch the Flames game against Guinea. The match grossed K14 million.
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