Southern Region Football Association (SRFA) has commended teams for maintaining discipline throughout the first round of the Thumbs Up League Premier Division.
The association’s vice general secretary Kingsley Simbeye said there were improved levels of discipline among teams in the entire first round.
Simbeye credited the improvement to a meeting that the body held with team officials prior to the start of the season.
“We also noted improved levels of officiation after we also met referees before the season kicked off. So far, we have not registered any form of violence in our matches. This is an indication of the good job that we have done,” he said.
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But Simbeye said the first round was not without challenges, as inadequate match venues in Blantyre posed a big problem.
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“We do not have enough match venues in Blantyre since most of the venues also host TNM Super League games. This forced us to host games mid-week. There were also some away teams which, at times, would arrive at match venues late and this would lead to matches finishing late,” he said.
He said in the course of the first round, they received some queries which are awaiting decisions.
“We recieved a complaint where Nyambadwe United refused to play against Ntaja Rangers in Ntaja after there were no markings on the pitch. The match was not played and we are yet to make a decision on the way forward.
“The other complaint we received was from Superfet. They complained that their opponents Changalume Barracks featured some suspended players who had accumulated yellow cards. We are also yet to make a decision on the outcome of this game,” Simbeye said.
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Currently, Ntaja United lead the standings in Group A after coming out of the first round without a loss.
They proudly lie on top with 25 points, followed by Cobbe Barracks (22 points) and Changalume (21 points).
In Group B, Ekhaya top the table with 19 points followed by Nyasa Big Bullets Reserve on 18 points. Ntaja Rangers lie third but also with 18 points.
Ntaja United Coach Mabvuto Lungu said they need to maintain top form in the second round and go one step at a time.
“We do not want to put ourselves under unnecessary pressure by beginning to talk about earning promotion to the TNM Super League. We just need to continue taking each game as it comes and with more seriousness.
“Our intention was to build a team this season. We never planned to get the results which are coming our way. They are just a bonus following the good support we are receiving from communities that support the team,” Lungu said.
