The Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM), who are sponsors of Silver Strikers, have said they are ready to bankroll the team’s participation in next year’s Caf Champions League.
RBM Governor Wilson Banda made the remarks when he hosted the team to a cocktail party at RBM Club House in Lilongwe on Saturday. This was after the team won the 2024 TNM Super League championship.
However, Banda said the sponsors were still waiting for a formal request from the club on the matter.
“We, as the central bank, are prepared to support them but the request has to come from the technical panel. We have won the championship but the team has to demonstrate and prove that they have the capacity to participate at that level,” Banda said.
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Silver are eligible to take part in next year’s continental elite club competition after winning the 2024 TNM Super League championship.
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At the event, Banda promised to give the players a token of appreciation for ending their 11-year wait for the title. But Banda, a former Silver player, did not disclose how much each player would get as a bonus. He also assured the players that the sponsors had already purchased a new bus for the club.
RBM sponsors all the four teams under Silver Strikers Limited Company, namely the senior men’s, reserve side, women’s football team and the youth team. On his part, Silver Board Chairperson George Kaudza Masina said he was excited with the gesture shown by the governor.
“The onus is on us. We just need to make a formal request; otherwise, in principle, the bank has accepted to support us,” Kaudza Masina said.
Caf provides $50,000 to clubs that participate in the Caf Champions League as starter-pack for travel logistics in the first preliminary round. Silver will return to the Caf competition after six years of absence.
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The last time they participated in the Caf Confederation Cup, Silver were knocked out in the first preliminary round after suffering a 4-3 loss to Gabonese side Ambere Sports Club on post-match penalties after a 1-1 stalemate on aggregate.
For the past five years, former league champions FCB Nyasa Big Bullets were Malawi’s sole representatives in Caf club competitions. They will likely participate in the Confederation Cup.
