Mangochi District is synonymous with the famous chambo (fish) but when it comes to football, not much has been documented to highlight the area.
Nevertheless, the landscape of football in Mangochi is about to change following the construction of a new stadium which has been in operation since last October.
For the first time in the history of the country’s football, the district has been able to host Super League games following an agreement which Zomba-based Red Lions and Mangochi Town Council signed.
Although the district is yet to produce a team to compete in the TNM Super League, soccer die-hards in Mangochi belief that time is ripe for the district to excel in football at the national stage.
Mangochi Football League Chairperson, Darlwin Nhlane, said although the construction of the stadium received mixed reactions, they have believe that they can produce players and teams capable of competing at the highest level in Malawi and beyond.
Nhlane, while hailing the government for the project, said the stadium will enable players and teams to adapt to a grass-pitch unlike the sand grounds which they were usually playing on.
“Our players and teams have been struggling in most cases because they were using a sand ground and whenever they travelled to play on a grass-pitch they ended up misfiring. We have had cases whereby we recommended promising and outstanding players to Super League teams only for them to perform poorly during trials.
“I noted that most players and teams had difficulties adapting to a grass pitch having been used to a sand ground. In so doing their performance was being compromised. As such, I think we will be able to produce a Super League team and more players that can play at the highest level,” he said.
His remarks might be a true reflection of what haunts the teams.
Officials for top three teams from Mangochi that are competing in the Chitetezo Mbaula Southern Region Football Association Premier Division concurred with Nhlane on the ground factor but they differ on other reasons.
Mangochi United Team Manager, Hassani Shaveri, said he was confident that teams from the district will start performing better following construction of the stadium.
“To do well in football it requires a lot of things. A good football pitch is just one of the factors. It is without doubt that our standard will progress because of this pitch,” he said.
MDF Marine Assistant Coach, Richard Mtambalika, said they expect to do well this season because of the ground.
“Of course, most of the grounds that we use in Premier Division are bare. But we can’t deny that we will be able to compete favourably with teams that use grass pitches,” he said.
Mtambalika said poor officiation and lack of exposure also haunts teams from the district.
“Apart from the ground issue biased officiation when we play our games also haunts us. We also lack exposure and it prevents us from performing to the expected standards,” he said.
Mangochi Challengers, co-owner, Issa Brahim, said the issue of having a grass-ground cannot be overlooked.
“Surely, this ground will help us to play standard football. It will be motivating the players to perform better. However, I also think that Mangochi as a district could have produced a Super League team if we had only a single team from Mangochi competing in the Premier Division. Currently, I think we end up splitting the best teams because we have three teams participating in the Premier Division,” he said.
Meanwhile, Azam Tigers Technical Director, Robin Alufandika, urged the government to build more community stadiums in several areas to act as catchment zone.
“The idea by the government to come up with community stadium should be commended. If you go to different districts where community stadiums have been built you will notice that people are appreciating the government for the projects which are helping in football development. Super League teams are also benefiting in various ways, including tapping talent from rural areas and improved gate collections,” he said.
Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development constructed Mangochi Stadium with funding from the German government’s KFW. An estimated K407 million went into the project.
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