Football Association of Malawi (Fam) is yet to secure a venue for the association’s Charity Shield scheduled for April 1.
The game involving TNM Super League champions, Kamuzu Barracks and Presidential Cup winners, Nyasa Big Bullets, was earmarked for Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe.
The game is expected to mark the start of the 2017 season.
However, Fam Commercial and Marketing Director, Limbani Matola, said Civo Stadium might host the game.
“We prefer to stage the game at Civo because its management is ready to contribute towards the fundraising cause. We also notice that the requirements for BNS are restrictive and prohibitive,” he said.
“They [hosting the game there] accumulate high operational costs which defeat the essence of a Charity Shield. Suffice to say we have held several meetings with BNS management over the matter and we await their official feedback.”
Matola said in addition to 25 percent venue share from gate revenue, BNS management is also demanding K2 million upfront payment plus K300,000 for cleaning services.
Fam has also been asked to engage its own personnel to manage sanitary facilities at the venue.
He said Fam had partnered Capital City Lions Club to raise funds for the rehabilitation of Lions Eye Hospital at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe.
Some of the proceeds will also be channelled towards purchasing physiotherapy equipment for Kachere Rehabilitation Centre in Blantyre.
“The eye hospital is in a very bad shape and needs urgent attention. And at Kachere Rehabilitation Centre, there is a critical shortage of physiotherapy equipment. As a result, the care givers there are finding it hard to provide the necessarily quality levels of treatment to patients,” Matola added.
He said most stakeholders for the game are willing to contribute towards the charitable cause.
“We have up-scaled our efforts for total inclusion, transparency and accountability in this drive,” Matola added. “It is a strong demonstration that football has great potential to meaningfully transform our societies. So we would want to fully exploit this power and value in such a big way.”
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