Gate-gate scandal: FAM gets lions’ cut despite clubs concerns

Having turned a deaf ear to Mighty Wanderers and Big Bullets’ pleas for compensation towards expenses for the clubs’ Carlsberg Cup semifinal encounter in Lilongwe, Football Association of Malawi (Fam) demonstrated greed of the highest order when it dubiously allocated itself the lions’ share from Saturday’s gate collections.

The Wanderers, Bullets’ match at Civo Stadium grossed a cool K14.2 million from the gates but instead of the two Blantyre based teams getting the largest share, the lions’ cut went to Fam, which made a dubious claim of K600,000 on top of the K2.4 million allocated to the association.

According to Nyasa Times sources inside the cash transaction room, Fam, ground owners and the two clubs got K2.4 million each from the gross takings but officials from Fam present in the counting room demanded a further K600,000, which they claimed was a refund on printing of entry tickets in South Africa.

The issue brought some confusion in the room as ground owners, Civil Service Sporting Club also demanded a refund for the tickets they had printed. The ground owners were given a compensation of K200,000.

Seeing they were being short-changed by the powers that be, Wanderers and Bullets also demanded K1 million each as compensation for the expenses they had incurred traveling to the capital city.

Commotion ensured in the room as Fam resisted the clubs’ calls. In the heat of the moment, Fam secretariat official Casper Jangale was reportedly doused with beer by a fan belonging to one of the clubs.

After heated arguments, the authorities bowed down to the demands and gave the teams K500,000 each. In total the clubs got K2.9 million each, ground owners K2.6 million while Fam went with the Lions’ share of K3 million.

Overall gate supervisors got K10,000 each with the bogus firm that usually man gates in Lilongwe pocketing K1 million. The rest of the money went towards security, first aid and other services.

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