By Michael Kachitsa Quinton Fortune is a South African former professional footballer who played as both a midfielder and a defender. His career began in Europe and after stints with Tottenham Hotspur, Mallorca and Atlético Madrid among others he settled in with Manchester United in 1999 and spent seven years there. He continued playing through 2010. Fortune was also part of the 1998 and 2002 South African World Cup teams. In 1996, Fortune joined Atlético Madrid. Fortune signed for Manchester United for a fee of £1.5 million on 1 August 1999. He made his first appearance for the club against Newcastle United on 30 August. His first goal followed on Boxing Day 1999 against Bradford City, and he scored twice against South Melbourne in the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship. Fortune earned 46 caps for South Africa, and played at the 1998 and the 2002 World Cups. He was one of South Africa’s most influential players in the 2002 World Cup. In the first match against Paraguay which ended in 2-2 draw, he scored South Africa’s second goal from penalty kick in injury time. Later in the next match, South Africa beat Slovenia 1-0 in which Fortune providing assist for the winning goal.[16] Although both South Africa and Paraguay finished the group with same points and goal difference, it was Paraguay who occupied the second place and advanced into the next stage because Paraguay scored more goals than South Africa. He now owns his own Academy Source – Wikipedia
Category: Sports
The History of Chelsea F.C
By Michael Kachitsa Chelsea was founded in 1905 by Gus Mears, an English businessman who had earlier bought the Stamford Bridge athletics stadium with the plan of transforming it into a football ground. His original idea was to rent it to an existing club, but after a deal with Fulham FC was halted, he got the idea to start a new club. While Chelsea were a reasonably consistent club for most of their history, people nowadays usually associate them with the football juggernaut they’ve become at the turn of the century; not much of a surprise, considering the club won the majority of their silverware in that period. Chelsea have won League titles, FA Cups and League Cups. They’ve also found success in Europe, becoming the only British club to win all three major UEFA trophies: the Cup Winners’ Cup, the Champions League and the Europa League. Chelsea would quickly prove to be a hit with the local supporters and established itself as the biggest club in the capital. In the late 1910s, the club became the first in Britain with an average attendance over 40,000. The huge attendance numbers made “The Pensioners”, a nickname for the team, to one of the richest clubs in the country and made it possible to pay well reputed players. Chelsea become also home for the first non-British player in the Football League, the Danish Nils Middelboe, who arrived to the club in 1913. Their first League title in 1955 was a shock for everyone, especially considering the club had finished in the bottom half of the league for most of the previous seasons. This unexpected success was not enough to turn their fortunes around, however, and the club soon returned to mediocrity. The mid-60s caught Chelsea at the height of their popularity, with many big-name celebrities becoming regular guests at Stamford Bridge. For the first time in their history, the club was seen as an actual contender. After securing their first League Cup in 1965, they followed it up with two more “firsts” by claiming an FA Cup in 1970 and a Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971.
Seige crowned 2021 Central Region Pool League champions
By Sylvester Kumwenda Lilongwe, Mana: Seige Pool Club from Lilongwe was officially been crowned Champions of the 2021 PJ Bites Central Region Pool League (CRPL) in an auspicious ceremony that took place on Saturday at PJ Bites Eatery in Lilongwe. The Team finished top of the table with 98 points having had an impressive record of 32 wins, two draws and four losses. Coach for Seige, Shonai Matewere said this was no mean achievement. “The competition was tough, but our secret was to train hard, set a standard for ourselves, instill utmost discipline and most importantly work as a family. “We know the next season competition will be even much tougher, but we are geared to defend our title, and where needed; beef up our squad as well,” he said. For finishing top of the K3 million worth league; Seige went away with K950,000.00, second placed team Oriental got K750,000.00 while third placed PJ Bites went away with K600,000.00. CRPL General Secretary, Christopher Njeula said he was impressed with the technicalities of the league as it has been running on a professional level, abiding to all league requirements, from start to finish. “It has been a very good season considering the background where we are coming from as we did not have the league for the past three years. And to have a league this year with 20 participating teams, we can say it was a success. “Going toward, we are looking forward for another brighter season where we expect an influx of sponsors considering the manner the league has been run, and also continued participation of the teams as well as new other teams,” he said. Njeula said the league did not face major hiccups but bemoaned the pull out of one team from Dowa. The top 10 teams received branded golf shirts each as an appreciation gesture. Captain for Kuyesa Pool Club, King Chaka congratulated the winning team and was impressed with the performance of his team, bearing in mind that the team is newly formed. “This is the first time to participate in the league, but if you can see our track record; it is very impressive. “We managed to pull a couple of big surprises which indicate we are team not to take for granted. We know we could have done even better but all we can do now is reflect on our overall performance and strategize for the next league,” he said.
Thyolo District Commissioner leads in sports day
By Moses Maseko Thyolo, Mana: Thyolo District Commissioner (DC), Douglas Moffat DC said sports is one of the events that bring together lots of people regardless of their affiliations. On Friday, he led hundreds of people in a Sports Day organized by Department of Youth and Sports in the district. The Sports Day started with a big walk from the DCs office to Thyolo Secondary School where several sporting activities including netball, volleyball and football took place. “We organized these sporting activities in order to have a day to relax from COVID-19 stresses and it is one way of keeping our body strong thereby preventing other diseases. “At the same time it unites us because this event mobilizes the youth, police officers, prison officers and other staff members to come together and refresh before going on holiday,” Moffat said. Thyolo District Director of Education, Youth and Sports, Chrissy Chinsale thanked the organizers of the events saying it was important to have such activities for it has a positive impact by bringing officers of different departments at the Council together and know each other. She commended the youth in the district for coming in large number to attend and participate in the event while reminding them that they do not have to relax in this holiday but they should take it as their advantage to study hard so that when school reopens this coming January they should not be blank in their heads. “Am encouraging youth to take part in these activities so that they should prevent doing bad activities that can lead them to contact HIV and unwanted pregnancies,” Chisale added. District Sports Officer, Oga Mlambe announced that her office would have a Bonanza which would take place during this year’s festive season holiday in order to pave way for youth to interact in sporting activities in the district. She said,” the Bonanza is only in the two major sporting activities, Netball and Football and will be taking place every year during the festive season holiday”. Mlambe urged government to quickly finish Thyolo Community Stadium construction which has missed completion deadline several times. ‘’We thank government for continuing with the construction of Thyolo Community Stadium which is under way, and we are asking them to finish the project as soon as possible as it will reduce the challenge of borrowing grounds from Thyolo Secondary School when we want to conduct any sporting activity,” she said.
The History of Liverpool F.C
By Michael Kachitsa Following the moving of Everton to Goodison Park in 1892, the club’s then-president John Houlding suddenly found himself with the rights to Anfield stadium and no team to play on it. Always a practical man, Houlding quickly decided to circumvent this problem by forming his own club – Liverpool (should not be confused with Liverpool Ramblers AFC that was founded ten years earlier). After becoming a member of the Football League in 1893, the team managed to get promoted to first division after one season in the second division. Early on, Liverpool established themselves as one of England’s top clubs, winning League titles in 1901, 1906, 1922 and 1923. In 1985, Liverpool faced Juventus in the European Cup final. Unfortunately, that match is now widely known as the scene of the Heysel disaster; after some unruly fans caused a perimeter wall to collapse, 39 fans were crushed to death. In the aftermath, considering the blame for the accident was placed solely on Liverpool fans, all English clubs were banned from European competitions for the next five years. In the absence of European games, Liverpool started focusing on the domestic competitions. But after winning two more League titles in 1986 and 1988 and an FA Cup in 1985, tragedy struck again. In the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, 94 fans died in a crowd crush only six minutes after the game had started. To this day, the Hillsborough disaster remains the worst stadium disaster in English football. Liverpool was close to win Premier League as runners up in 2002, 2014 and 2019. But in 2020 everything fall into place, Liverpool led by German coach Jürgen Klopp pulled away from the competition and the sky turned red when the league was finally decided, after being interrupted for a period due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Makoloni to enrol for football coaching course in Ireland
By Blessings Kaunda Mzuzu, Mana: Former Flame’s and Mighty Wanderers striker, Gift Makoloni has said he will start coaching course in Ireland after a long break in football since 2004. Speaking from Ireland in an interview with Malawi News Agency, Makoloni said after retiring from football he relocated to Ireland for greener pasture. He said he has seen how football is growing in Malawi, hence the idea of becoming a coach so that he could in future contribute to the development of the football in the country. “I feel obliged to do something for my country. I know that my coaching career will benefit a lot of young talented footballers in my country,” said Makoloni. Makoloni further said Malawi put him on the map saying it is now time for him to pay back by grooming young football players through coaching. “I am where I am today because of Malawi Football so I want to do a little something to support football development. I have approached few people here in Ireland who have promised to help me with sporting materials such as sports attire, balls among others and will send these to Malawi,” he said. Makoloni then urged secondary school students to work hard in their academic studies as well as in sporting disciplines. Makoloni started his professional football career with Civo Service United FC when he was at at Mitundu Secondary School then played for wanderers and lastly he ended with Silver strikers. Former Civil Service United FC and Flames player, Peterkins Kaira said Football Association of Malawi (FAM) should be flexible to hire ex-players who have potential in football coaching. “FAM and football administrators and coaches are supposed to be recommending players who demonstrate to have the potential of becoming football coaches to coaching trainings. “For example when I was playing for Civo Service United FC in 1986, I was sent to a coaching course under Zolo Msiska,” Kaira said. He said players are motivated when they are being coached by a coach who was at one time a prolific footballer. “I therefore commend Makoloni for his aspiration especially that he wants train as a coach a in a country which is advanced in football, he is going to be an asset to football development in Malawi,” he said.
The History of Aston Villa F.C
By Michael Kachitsa The Birmingham located Aston Villa Fotball Club was founded in 1874, by four cricket players who were looking for something to do during the winter break. The club was therefore founded approximately one year before the city rival Birmingham City (named Small Heath Alliance until 1905). In 1885, the club’s president, William McGregor, realized a need to keep the fans interested in the game; together with eleven other leading English clubs of that period, Villa founded the Football League in 1888. Led by George Ramsay they quickly proved to be the most dominant side of the Victorian era, claiming five First Division titles and three FA Cups before the turn of the century. With the rise of football’s popularity in the country, however, many other clubs started to emerge as contenders for the throne. Still, Villa remained a powerhouse; after winning another FA Cup in 1905, they followed it up with their sixth First Division title in 1910. After another two FA Cup victory in 1913, the club’s golden era ended at the outbreak of the First World War. While Villa had started off the post-war period by claiming another FA Cup in 1920, it soon became obvious that their best years were behind them. After a long period of decline, the club was relegated to the Second Division in 1936, for the first time in their history. They did not win another trophy until 1957 and a famous victory over the Busby Babes in the FA Cup final. In 1961, Villa added to their trophy room by winning the inaugural League Cup. After a new low for the club – a relegation to the Third Division in 1970 – Villa turned a new leaf by appointing Ron Saunders as coach. They were back in the First Division by 1975, the same year that saw them win another League Cup. With Saunders’ ability to spot a good player and his famous “no-nonsense” approach to coaching, Villa’s streak of good results continued into the 80s. After a League Cup victory in 1977 and an unpredicted First Division title in 1981, Villa won their first and only European Cup in 1982 by shocking the favored Bayern Munich in the Final. One of the heroes was the reserve goalkeeper Nigel Spink that replaced Jimmy Rimmer early in the match and made some astonishing saves. The last triumph was however made without Ron Saunders as the coach. Some months earlier, after a dispute with the chairman Ron Bendall at a time the team had a negative trend in the league Ron Saunders had decided to resign. The Premier League era has been filled with ups and downs for to Villa, they were placed second in 1993 and on the bottom of the table in 2016. They managed to claim two more League Cups in 1994 and 1996.
Pictures from the Kuipatsa Moto Flames Fundraising Dinner at Kamuzu Palace
Pics by Lisa Kadango Malango
‘It is high time we started winning trophies at Olympics,’- Chilima
By Lydia Maganga Blantyre, Mana: Vice President, Dr. Saulos Chilima has urged the organising committee of the Olympic Games to find the solution to the country’s perennial failure to win medals at international tournaments. He said it was time to get serious and go back to the drawing table to try and take a different approach so that Malawian athletes bring medals back home from different tournaments. The Vice President was speaking on Tuesday when he presided over the Queen’s Baton Relay on behalf of Malawians at Chileka International Airport in Blantyre. Chilima who is also Minister of Economic Planning and Development and Public Sector Reforms emphasized that it was high time Malawians changed the approach from doing the same things as our performance has not been encouraging at the Commonwealth games. “We need to drop the usual approach and explore other avenues to see that we promote our flag outside the country. “Our performance has not been encouraging compared to other African countries who have managed to improve within the years and have brought trophies to their perspective countries,” he said. Chilima encouraged Malawi Olympic Committee (MOC) officials to get into serious planning in the games so that they win and make Malawians proud. “Considering that the 2022 Commonwealth Games are now drawing closer, let us get serious by practicing and planning so that we at least bring some trophies home,” he added. The Vice President pledged government’s commitment to the Commonwealth and its activities. MOC President, Jappie Mhango said it was a great honour for Malawi to be part of the Queen’s Baton Relay. He said the Queen’s Baton would be in the country for three days and it would go to Zambia on Thursday, November 19,2021. Mhango said the Queen’s Baton has always been paraded in Lilongwe but this year they decided to change place to Blantyre for the first time. Spicing the ceremony was a netball game, a boxing fight and Judo. Some of the sporting disciplines that have qualified from Malawi for the 2022 Commonwealth Games to take place in Birmingham, United Kingdom include netball, boxing and marathon.
Don Bosco Shotokan Karate club outshines in Karate championship
By Moses Nyirenda Lilongwe, Mana: Shotokan Karate Club of Don Bosco Youth Centre in Lilongwe has outshined in the recent Karate championship which was organized by one of the Karate schools in the country known as Karate Zen Malawi at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHes) Sports Complex in Blantyre. The Karate Championship which attracted about 30 Karatekas across the country, saw Don Bosco Youth Centre Shotokan Karate Club best performers to walk away with trophies in the Kata (demonstration of basics) category and some got medals in both Kumite (freestyle fighting) and Kata categories. In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana)on Thursday in Lilongwe, one of Don Bosco Youth Centre Shotokan Karate Club senior instructors, Sensei (Instructor) Andrew Mwampita said that it was exciting to see his team making big achievements at the Karate Championship. “I felt so happy after hearing the announcement that our team was the best team from Lilongwe, according to our challenges such inadequate of finances to support our team during trainings we could not even thought of being the best at the championship,” he pointed out. Asked on what was the secret behind the success of Don Bosco Youth Centre Shotokan Karate Club at the championship, Mwampita said that his team invested more time on trainings. “Our secret was hard training and we focused much on physical exercise, basics and katas,” the Sensei said. Mwampita who is now qualified to attend region five karate championships in South Africa in February 22, 2022 further encouraged fellow karate athletes to work hard if they have to excel and succeed with karate. “I am appealing to karate athletes in the country to train, train and train hard, they should never give up even when they are alone they need to train both exercise and basics, I am a busy person but I do not waste my time with deadly funnies I train hard to be the best karate athlete,” he said. One of the organizers for the recent past karate championship, Sensei, Joseph Kawerama applauded Don Bosco Youth Centre Shotokan Karate team for its great performance. “Shotokan karate team from Don Bosco Youth Centre did very well considering it was its first time being exposed to the new rules of judging, the youngest athlete from this team got five flags from all the five judges at the tournament and that is encouraging,” he noted. Kawerama said that it was encouraging that young boys and girls are now showing interest in karate sport and he said this was positive gesture in as far as karate sport development was concerned in the country. “Young boys and girls are now passionate and spirited in as far as karate is concerned and this is quite good towards the development of karate as a sport in our country. “I would like to encourage all instructors out there in all regions of the country to spend more time with these young athletes as we need more professional karate athletes in the country,” he said.