Musicians to play soccer against BB to raise funds
The country’s musicians have formed a football team that will play Big Bullets FC in what is billed to be an exciting encounter at the soccer mecca Kamuzu Stadium this Saturday.
According to the organizing committee, the game has been organized to raise funds for the Musicians Association of Malawi (MAM), among others.
Chairperson of the committee, Patrick Simakweli, who is MAM’s southern chapter president, said in an interview with Nyasa Times that the association was facing financial constraints and the game was one of the initiatives put in place to help the musicians’ body.
“We recently opened a bank account for MAM and as we speak there is no money in that account and as musicians, we decided to come up with ways of raising funds, the game on Saturday with [Big] Bullets is one of the initiatives we have lined up,” he said.
The veteran guitar maestro said MAM faces a lot of challenges, among them, in instances when its members are sick or in time of death and “this money will be helping in such situations.”
According to Simakweli, a certain percentage of the money to be raised during the Saturday match will be donated to gospel singer Geoffrey Zigoma who is suffering from cancer of the ear.
“We will also have people who will be moving around at the stadium asking well-wishers to contribute something and all that money will be given to Zigoma,” he added.
The musicians’ team has players such as Davis Njobvu of the Edgar ndi Davis duo, Afro-R&B singer Maskal, Zembani band’s keyboardist Sam Simakweli, Mkakeni Kaunda, Maxi DC, Uncle Lai, Isaac Chizaka of gospel group P.O.V and Collen Ali, among others.
The team started training at Blantyre Youth Centre last week and according to Chizaka, who doubles as the team’s coach and captain, there were 35 players as of Monday and he was still expecting other players to join the squad.
“I am expecting Black Missionaries’ Anjiru and Chizondi Fumulani, Sally Nyundo, Dan Lu and Lulu, these guys will be joining us hopefully tomorrow [Tuesday],” said Chizaka, a former player for super league sides Silver Strikers, Escom United, Tigers FC and Mighty Wanderers.
Saying he was happy with the crop of players he had in camp, Chizaka said the final squad will be determined on Friday when he will select 25 players ready to meet ‘the people’s team’ as Big Bullets is fondly known.
“The players are dedicated and they are ready for the heat. Everyone in camp is excited and Malawians should come in large numbers because it will be an exciting match, seeing their favourite musicians playing football,” he said.
The game on Saturday will be the first between the country’s musicians and a top club and according to the organizing committee, the MAM team will be maintained and they are expecting to have such matches with other super league sides in future.
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