By Michael Kachitsa Kennedy Malunga (born 14 May 1970) is a former Malawi international football midfielder who played for clubs in Malawi, South Africa and Belgium. Born in Malawi, Malunga played football in the local league for MTL Wanderers. He joined South African side Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. with his brother, Holman, in August 1985. He joined Belgian Pro League side Cercle Brugge K.S.V. for the 1987-88 season, but made only one competitive appearance for the club, while finishing sixth in the voting for 1987 African Player of the Year. He moved to K.V. Kortrijk the following season. In 1990, Malunga returned to South Africa to play for Dynamos F.C. and Port Elizabeth Blackpool. He retired from his football career there in the early 1990s. Former Malawi international midfielder, Kennedy ‘Senator’ Malunga was among top 10 African great players, who were nominated for the prestigious African Player of the Year award in 1987, finishing on position six. What’s very interesting is that Kennedy, then playing for Club Brugge in Belgium, was ranked 6th with 24 points, beating Ghana’s great player Abedi Ayew Pele, then playing for Olympique Marseille in France who got 17 points and was placed number 8. Another notable African player, Cameroon’s Roger Milla, playing for Montpellier in France, got 14 points and was at position 10. Source -Wikipedia
Category: Sports
SULOM To Fill Legal Advisor Position
By Mphatso Sam Blantyre, June 23, Mana: The Super League of Malawi (SULOM) says its forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) set to be held in Lilongwe in august this year will, among others, nominate a Legal Advisor. The position fell vacant in December last year following the resignation of Muhammad Selemani, who was elected Football Association of Malawi (FAM) Executive Committee Member at its elective AGM. This, according to a communique from SULOM signed by its General Secretary Williams Banda on Monday, follows a resolution made on June 20 at SULOM Executive Committee Meeting in Blantyre. He said: “AGM will be held towards the end of August 2020 at a venue to be announced in due course. “SULOM shall commence a restricting process in its setup to fit its strategic direction of football professionalism and commercialization.” The statement said on July 1, the country’s soccer governing body, whose offices were housed in Delamia House in Blantyre, will be relocating to Chilomoni Stadium also known as MDC Stadium where they will be operating. While saying the association is moving towards embracing e-ticketing system, Banda said SULOM is reviewing the gate management and ticket selling process in line with COVID-19 preventive measures, adding that the process will also engage and involve clubs and all concerned stakeholders. “At the moment, we are keenly following all measures and efforts that all stakeholders are executing so that the game returns on the pitch in the wake of the COVID-19 situation not only in Malawi but also across the globe. “As SULOM, we feel that such steps will go a long way to ensure that players, managers and fans are very safe. Together with FAM, we will conduct a stakeholder engagement and sensitization on the pandemic,” reads the statement in part. While applauding SULOM for securing their own permanent office at MDC Stadium in Chilomoni, one of the country’s soccer analyst Humphreys Mvula noted that SULOM should go commercial by among others, changing in managerial setup. He said: “SULOM should find a CEO or else take the General Secretary to be the Honorary Secretary who will be in the SULOM board and run the everyday affairs of the association. They should also have a marketing team. “What SULOM has done is a welcome idea and it fits well in raising the bar of the manifesto of FAM President Walter Nyamilandu but it will play no important role in the game if football is not being played.”
Malawi National football team’s worst Defeat
By Michael Kachitsa The Malawi national football team, nicknamed The Flames, represents Malawi in international football and is controlled by the Football Association of Malawi. Before 1966, they were known as the Nyasaland national football team. Nyasaland which was the name of the country Malawi before independence lost 0–12 against Gold Coast then, now called Ghana (Malawi; 15 October 1962). This is the Malawi National Football team’s biggest defeat, which happened in the African cup of nations. The game was played in Nyasaland (Malawi), Blantyre at Rangeley Stadium now Kamuzu Stadium. The stadium was originally named Rangeley Stadium during the colonial era to commemorate British civil servant William H. J. Rangeley. Malawi 8–1 Botswana Malawi; 13 July 1968 is Malawi’s biggest win. A feat that was repeated when Malawi beat Djibout in 2010 by the same margin. Source-Wikipedia
Blantyre to Have State-0f-Art Stadium
By Memory Chatonda Malawi President Professor Peter Mutharika has disclosed government’s plan to construct state-of-the- art national stadium at Njamba Freedom Park in Blantyre as one way of promoting sporting activities in the country. Mutharika made the disclosure on Saturday during the presidential launch of construction of two stadiums for Nyasa Big Bullets and Be-Forward Wanderers at Nyambadwe Primary School ground in Blantyre. He said his government is currently in talks with sponsors to build and finance the project of the national stadium to benefit more youth with sporting activities. “My government is committed to promoting sporting activities in the country. That is why, last time I made a promise to construct two stadia for Nyasa Bullets and Wanderers considering that these are big teams that have produced players who are recognized in Malawi and Africa at large. “Today, I am happy to tell you that I have honored my promise to construct the two stadiums. In addition, very soon we will build a national stadium at Njamba. The stadium will be of international standard,” said Mutharika. Mutharika, therefore, commended Football Association of Malawi President, Walter Nyamilandu for introducing a football academy to nurture football talent. On youth empowerment, Mutharika said his government is geared to empower the youth economically and that so far, he has allocated K15 billion to Malawi Enterprise Development Fund to enable the youth access soft loans to start small-scale businesses. Mutharika also said his government will continue initiating different development programmes such as construction of technical colleges, tarmac roads, and Malata and Cement subsidy programme among others. “So far, my government has managed to increase access to water supply to people through the Mulanje-Likhubula-Nguludi Water Project, built a five-star hotel at Chichiri and constructed dual carriage roads. “Shortly, I will embark on a series of projects such as the construction of new Chileka International Airport, a skyscraper at Wenela and also other five-star hotels in Blantyre in order to turn the district into a great commercial city of Malawi,” he said. Mutharika, therefore, encouraged registered voters to go in their large numbers to re-elect him as president and his running mate Atupele Muluzi under Democratic Progressive Party and United Democratic Front ticket on June 23 Fresh Presidential Election for continued development. In his remarks, Football Association of Malawi President, Walter Nyamilandu thanked Mutharika for laying a foundation stone for the construction of two stadiums, saying the development signifies government’s commitment to improve sporting activities in the country. “For over 50 years, the two clubs have been operating without owning a stadium which is a sad development. The laying of foundation stone for the stadium projects is, therefore, a great, historic and memorable occasion for us. We, therefore, thank you for the gesture,” Nyamilandu said. The construction of the two stadiums is expected to be completed in 18 months (104 weeks).
Kinnah Phiri Malawian legend
by Michael Kachitsa Born in Blantyre, Kinnah began playing football for local side Big Bullets F.C., and in 1982 was offered a contract by UAE club Sharjah SC. He was not allowed to leave the country, but he moved to Swaziland to play for Manzini Wanderers where he would finish his playing career. Phiri was the inspiration behind the Malawi national football team’s finest hours in the late 1970s when Malawi twice won the East and Central Africa Challenge Cup. He scored 71 goals in 115 games. He is currently joint 11th international top goal scorer in the world alongside the former German striker Miroslav Klose.
Mutharika to Launch Bullets, Nomads Stadia Projects
The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture says the launch of commencement of construction of Nyasa Big Bullets and Be Forward Wanderers stadia will take place on Saturday in Blantyre, Malawi President Peter Mutharika will preside over the launch at Nyambadwe Primary School Ground before After unveiling of the plaques at the two construction sites. The two stadia are expected to be constructed at Zingwangwa ground and Soche in Blantyre respectively. Government realizes that sports, in particular football, offers good entertainment to the general public, unifies people, promotes good health and is capable of generating revenue for individual players, government as well as other stakeholders.
Queens Player Cathy Yikwanga to Be Laid To Rest Monday
The remains for Cathy Yikwanga who until her death wa Tigresses Netball Team and Malawi netball team under-21 netballer will be laid to rest on Monday at her home village in Karonga district. According to Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) General Secretary Carol Babu, the netballer Yikwanga died on Saturday at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe after a short illness. In a statement Babu said: “The entire netball fraternity in the country is extending heartfelt condolences to the Yikwanga Family and Tigresses Club.” In her eulogy, Netball team star Mwawi Kumwenda said: “Cathy will be a great loss to the Malawi Queens. She was an outstanding member of our squad with So much potential to have a strong career in netball as a Malawi Queen and be a great ambassador for our country.”
The most competitive League in African Football
By Michael Kachitsa The Premier Soccer League (PSL) is the trading name of the National Soccer League (NSL). It is an Affiliate Member of the South African Football Association (SAFA) and the administrator of professional football in the Republic of South Africa. The PSL was established in 1996. Manning Rangers were the first to be crowned champions of the PSL in 1997 when Gordon Igesund-coached the side and stunned all and sundry by winning the title ahead of a number of more fancied opponents. From 1998 to 2000 the league was dominated by Mamelodi Sundowns, who pulled off a hat-trick of titles. In 2001, Igesund moved to Orlando Pirates and helped the ‘Buccaneers’ secure the title. The following season he moved to Cape Town-based Santos, and steered it to win the league title, thus becoming the first coach to win the championship with three different clubs. He then won it again with Mamelodi Sundowns in the 2007/08 season. The league was reduced from 18 to 16 teams after the end of the 2001/2002 season to avoid fixture congestion, causing two teams, Ria Stars and Free State Stars, to be disbanded. Kaizer Chiefs successfully defended their league title in 2005 after they won the prestigious trophy in 2004 for the first time in a decade. The 2005/2006 season saw Mamelodi Sundowns capturing the title for the fourth time. The PSL has helped raise the standard of club soccer in South Africa, providing the sport with better media coverage and much-improved revenue through strong sponsorship deals. Sponsors include renowned brands like Nedbank, Telkom, Absa, and the official suppliers are Castle, Coca-Cola and Vodacom. It has also provided a platform for local players to make their mark and catch the eye of overseas clubs.
1993 Zambia National football team plane crash
On the evening of 27 April 1993, a DHC-5 Buffalo transport aircraft of the Zambian Air Force crashed into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after taking off from Libreville, Gabon. The flight was carrying most of the Zambian national football team to a FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Senegal in Dakar At 10pm local time on Saturday, Zambia will walk out to face Senegal at the new stadium in Bata, Equatorial Guinea. It will be the second match at this year’s African Cup of Nations, and the minds of most of the crowd may still be on the opening game, which will have just finished at the same stadium. Not Zambian minds, though; they’ll be much further away. They’ll be thinking of 27 April 1993, when another Zambia team set off to play Senegal in a World Cup qualifier. That team, the best Zambia has ever had and potentially one of the greatest in African history, never arrived. This will be the 10th time the sides have met since then, but what makes this game particularly poignant is that it was just a few miles south of Bata that their plane went down, crashing into the Atlantic shortly after refuelling in the Gabonese capital, Livrebelle. It was a very tragic moment.
The Footballer who became president
By Michael Kachitsa After beginning his career in his home country of Liberia, Weah spent 14 years playing for clubs in France, Italy, and England. Arsene Wenger first brought him to Europe, signing him for Monaco in 1988. Weah moved to PSG in 1992 where he won League 1 in 1994 and became the top scorer of the 1994–95 UEFA Champions League. He signed for A C milan in 1995 where he spent four successful seasons, winning Serie A twice. His most notable goal in Italy saw him run the length of the field against Verona . He moved to the Premier League towards the end of his career and had spells at Chelsea and Manchester City, winning the FA Cup at the former, before returning to France to play for Marseille in 2001, and subsequently ending his career with Al–Jazira in 2003. FourFourTwo magazine named Weah one of the best players never to win the UEFA Champions League. At international level, Weah represented Liberia at the African Cup of Nations on two occasions, winning 53 caps and scoring 13 goals for his country. He played an international friendly in 2018 where his number 14 jersey was retired. Scott Murray in The Guardian writes Weah was “hamstrung in World Cup terms by hailing from a global minnow”. He is regarded as one of the best players never to have played at the tournament. Weah was sworn in as president on 22 January 2018, making him the 4th youngest serving president in Africa, marking Liberia’s first democratic transition in 74 years. He cited fighting corruption, reforming the economy, combating illiteracy and improving life conditions as the main targets of his presidency. Two other world class African strikers, Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o, attended the inauguration.