A month after Super League of Malawi (Sulom) warned teams whose spectators invade pitches, Mzuzu City Council (MCC) has also joined the call.
The council’s Chief Executive Officer, MacLoud Kadam’manja, on Monday said the destruction of the stadium’s property has forced them to act.
A few months after renovating the stadium, part of it has been destroyed by spectators who invade the pitch, especially after games.
“We are formulating by-laws where we will work with our stewards, Police and you the media to trace those that are involved in the malpractices. Once the by-laws are passed, every person caught on the pitch will be punished,” Kadam’manja said.
He added that the practice also puts lives of players and officials at risk during games as there is no proper barrier between spectators in the terraces and the officials on the pitch.
“The council is not targeting fans of a specific team. Following the interventions by Sulom and Football Association of Malawi (Fam), teams here have stopped invading the pitch, but the problem is with spectators called aganyu. These are the ones we will be targeting because they are making the Council lose funds in renovating the same thing now and again,” he explained.
The punishment, according to the MCC boss, will include forcing them to repair part of the destroyed areas in the stadium.
Team Manager for Moyale, Gerald Kanje, has since commended the council’s stance, saying security of players, officials and referees has to be a priority.
“During our game against Azam Tigers last weekend, it was scary seeing a spectator sneaking from the stand to our bench without valid reasons,” Kanje said.
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