Ecobank dresses all 4 teams ready for Charity Shield
All is set for this weekend’s Ecobank Charity Shield to be played on Saturday and Sunday at Kamuzu Stadium and the sponsors presented game jerseys to all four participating teams — Mighty Be Forward Wanderers, Master Security, Blue Eagles and Nyasa Big Bullets.
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The sponsors also unveiled a glittering shield trophy that is up for grabs.
Football Association of Malawi’s Commercial and Marketing Director Limbani Cliff Matola said the tournament has attracted an overwhelming response as by Friday morning they had to issue more tickets to Ecobank which was acting as a sales points.
Ecobank has taken over sponsorship of the annual FAM Charity Shield at K12 million and this year’s proceeds from the tournament will be channeled towards the fight against crimes being targeted at people with albinism.
Matola said they have liaised with Association for People with Albinism (Apam), which is mobilising that 200 of it’s members should watch the match on both days.
“We want to make a big statement of ‘One Love — Stop the Killing’ in solidarity to our brothers and sisters with albinism, who have gone through some distressing times in the recent past.
“There will be a minute of silence to honour some of the people who fell prey to the atrocious crimes perpetrated on people with albinism,” Matola said.
The Charity Shield is FAM’s flagship corporate social responsibility program aims at engaging, mobilizing and inspiring football fans, stakeholders and the public towards a charitable cause of national significance.
At the venue, Malawi Blood Transfusion Service (MBTS) will bring their van where people can donate blood.
The FAM Ecobank Charity Shield is held annually to mark the opening of the football season
As a corporate social responsibility, FAM aims at providing direct employment (coaches, players and many others); inducing economic activities as people travel, seek accommodation and food in between football matches; providing wholesome entertainment to the nation and uniting the countries citizens and enhance national cohesion, football remains a great tool as a means to solving some of the social economic challenges that our county faces.
“This year our focus is to allow football play an advocacy role against the barbaric killings, abductions and discriminations against people with albinism in Malawi under the theme ‘One Love – Stop the Killings!’,” FAM president Walter Nyamilandu had said at the sponsorship launch mid this month.
“Our message is we are all one, let us love one another. When we genuinely love one another there is no reason to kill each other. There is absolutely no reason to kill our fellow citizens who were born with albinism.
“After all they did not choose to be born that way. And it can happen to anyone,” Nyamilandu said.
Also present was secretary for Association for People with Albinism (Apam), Ian Simbota, who applauded FAM and Ecobank for considering people with albinism as this year’s beneficiaries of the Charity Shield.
“We were at a crossroads, we didn’t know which road to take but with this awareness campaign you are lhelping us to feel secured.
“The spotlight that Malawians have given to this scourge is very much appreciated and we don’t take it for granted. We can move around doing our business knowing they are some fellow citizens of goodwill for all Malawians,” he said.
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