Work permit probe underway
Foreign players and officials plying their trade in the local league are being investigated if they have work permits to legally work in the country.
Super League of Malawi (Sulom) General Secretary, Williams Banda, confirmed to have asked teams competing the TNM Super League to submit copies of work permits to the body following a request from Immigration Department.
“We are just reminding them as stipulated in the rules and regulations of the league that whenever they register players they are supposed to give us copies of the National Identity Card and for foreign players, they must give us copies of their passport as well as authentic copies of work permits for our necessary attention which also helps the Department of Immigration to effectively do their job. So all foreign based players should have copies of their work permits,” he said.
Players without a valid work permit face arrest and deportation as the Department of Immigration will take charge of the matter as it is of national interest.
For illegally using foreign players, clubs risk various punishments including having their points deducted.
Currently, league leaders Be Forward Wanderers have Nigerian striker Babatunde Adepoju and most recently have signed Ghanaian Eric Atsigah.
Debutants Ntopwa FC have Nigerian striker, Friday Osagie whereas Silver Strikers’ defender Yunus Sheriff is from Nigeria.
Wanderers Chairperson, Gift Mkandawire, said the Nomads family should not panic as they were safe.
“We already have Babatunde’s work permit and as of now we are working on Atsigah. So there is no need to worry,” he said.
Ntopwa Technical Director, Isaac Jomo Osman, did not pick our calls.
Nyasa Big Bullets Chief Administration Officer, Albert Chigoga, whose club has Zimbabwean mentor Kallisto Pasuwa, said being a professional club they already processed Pasuwa’s work permit.
“We do things in order we can’t compromise,” he said.
