Business mogul Thomson Mpinganjira has asked the Super League of Malawi (Sulom) to exercise impartiality when managing the league to woo the corporate world to the game.
Mpinganjira, who is also Mighty Mukuru Wanderers President and Board Chairperson, made the remarks during the Sulom Dinner and Dance in Lilongwe on Saturday.
He said the ‘Revive, Reform and Rebrand’ agenda needs to be actualised as the current state of Malawi football leaves a lot to be desired.
“Corporate sponsors are very worried about their reputation and their brands due to poor refereeing, perceived Sulom bias, hooliganism and violence.
“If you repeat the mistakes where games are not decided on the pitch, you are going to chase current and potential sponsors. Work hard to remove any perception that Sulom is biased towards certain clubs,’’ Mpinganjira said.
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This comes two months after he also expressed dissatisfaction with how football is administered in the country.
Then, he said there are several administrative shortcomings in domestic football, which has led to dwindling standards of the game.
“Mediocrity is killing our game in Malawi. If the Revive, Reform and Rebrand agenda will not clean up the game, Malawi football will remain mediocre and it is mediocre. Otherwise football should be based on competitions and not rigging,’’ Mpinganjira said.
During the dinner and dance, Mpinganjira did not mince words as he questioned the attitude of some football administrators in the
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country.
He said corporate sponsors deserve special respect to continue investing in the game.
Sports analyst George Kaudza-Masina said Mpinganjira mentioned pertinent issues.
“We need to create an environment where sponsors should see value for their money,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mpinganjira also urged the fans to desist from acts of hooliganism and violence, saying the tendency has potential to scare away sponsors.
His comments come after there were several incidents of hooliganism and violence last season.
The highlight of the season was the incident involving Wanderers supporters as they were found guilty of damaging seats at Bingu National Stadium during the opening match of the Airtel Top 8 against Silver.
