TN Stars against equal cushion on Covid-19
TN Stars Football Club has come out clear to pronounce their stand on the COVID-19 pandemic cushion to Super League players and officials by the Football Association of Malawi (FAM).
FAM announced an initiative to cushion players and officials of all Super League clubs registered for the 2020 season.
Reports indicate that according to the initiative, every player will be getting K35 000 every month as they wait for the coronavirus disease to subside.
But TN Stars Football Club feels it is not fair for players from clubs with stable sponsorship from government and other companies to be getting an equal amount with those without sponsorship like TN Stars, Karonga United, Chitipa United, Tigers, Mtopwa FC, Ekwendeni Hammers and Mzuzu Warriors.
Meanwhile, FAM has also partnered Rab Processors Limited to give 62 regional league teams assorted foodstuffs worth K130 million as a relief package.
FAM has contributed K98 million for the purchase of the food items while Rab Processors has offered a price discount for the commodities and free distribution to players and team officials nationwide through their subsidiary company Kulima Gold.
The inclusion of the K98 million package for second-tier leagues means FAM has used K332.8 million of their K350 million relief fund budget sourced from Fifa Forward Projects as Super League players and officials are set to get K140 million, women’s football K73.5 million and referees K21.3 million.
Government sponsored clubs include Red Lions, MAFCO FC, Kamuzu Barracks FC, Civil Service United, Silver Strikers, Blue Eagles and Moyale Barracks. Nyasa Big Bullets are well sponsored by Nyasa Manufacturing Company while Be Forward Wanderers is sponsored by a Japanese Company that sells used vehicles.
Speaking on a local radio station on Tuesday morning, Chief Executive Officer for TN Stars, Johns Banda, said it does not make sense for teams with sponsorship to get the same aid as those without sponsorship.
“Other clubs have sponsorship and they are still paying their players. Teams like TN Stars need to get more than the amount they are mentioning while those with sponsorship should get less,” said Banda.
Meanwhile, FAM has shifted the commencement of the cushioning exercise from June end to May end following an outcry of teams like Mtopwa FC together with the Super League of Malawi (SULOM).
SULOM President Tiya Somba Banda confirmed commencement of the cushioning exercise from this month end.
“We sat down with the FAM President and we agreed to start paying the players beginning the month end of May,” Somba Banda said.
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :