Trouble is slowly brewing at Be Forward Wanderers after the executive committee failed to reach an agreement over the missing K124 million which led to the suspension of the club’s General Secretary, Mike Butao.
The development comes after the teams’ sponsor-Be Forward Limited- reportedly selected Butao as its local representative to link the two parties.
Following the appointment, it is not known whether the club will make headway to reclaim the money it lost in a TNM airtime distribution venture.
Among others, Wanderers Chairman, Gift Mkandawire, has also been appointed as the signatory of the sponsorship even though he is yet to accept.
Reliable sources from Wanderers indicated that outgoing executive members rebuffed the idea of having Butao as the link of the sponsorship when his case was yet to be resolved.
“It does not make sense to have someone [Butao] within the system when he hasn’t been cleared. That man is yet to be cleared of illegally soliciting K124 million from the airtime distribution partnership with TNM,” said the source.
Another source added that the matter would be handled by the forthcoming committee.
“Since most executive members are not contesting the matter will be tackled by the forthcoming committee. But almost every executive member rejected the idea. It was only the chairman [Mkandawire] who did not make his stand known,” said the source.
Butao said Be Forward Limited made the appointment midway last season but the announcement was delayed to avoid disturbing Wanderers’ failed-title challenge.
“Basically what this entails is that I will be the eyes and ears of the sponsors. I will represent the sponsor and all the partners in Japan in their business interest here. I will be the link between the club and sponsor,” he said.
On his part, Mkandawire, said the matter was still under discussion as such people should not rush to make conclusions.
“I think it is a proposal. I think we shouldn’t put it as something that has been settled. But it is a proposal from the sponsors that they needed the people that were signatory to the sponsorship to the contract should be available during the three year contract period which we have. They have proposed that me and Butao should be the people to manage the contract,” he said.
Mkandawire refused to comment further on the future of the missing K124 million and also whether he will accept the offer having indicated that he needed a break from managing Wanderers.
