Football Association of Malawi (Fam) has said it has plans to renovate MDC Stadium in Chilomoni Township, Blantyre.
Fam President Fleetwood Haiya disclosed in an interview that the association’s executive committee already approved the plans. “We want to renovate the facility so that we provide an alternative venue for teams in Blantyre,” Haiya said.
Currently, Blantyre-based teams FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, Mighty Wanderers and Ekhaya use Kamuzu Stadium and Mpira Stadium as the only approved facilities for elite competitions.
Government through the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture owns Kamuzu Stadium whereas Mpira Stadium belongs to Fam.
Haiya said the association is also open for partners to develop the stadium. “We are open to welcome partners who might be interested to change the face of the facility. The stadium can help us generate resources,” he said.
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Haiya did not disclose how much is required to fully renovate the facility.
Meanwhile, Wanderers President Thomson Mpinganjira who previously expressed interest in leasing the facility, has said he is no longer interested. “I am no longer interested in acquiring MDC Stadium now as all my initial attempts to lease the ground went in vain,” Mpinganjira said.
On his part, Bullets Chief Executive Officer Albert Chigoga said MDC Stadium can help ease the burden of using Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre. “This is a good development as Blantyre has no any other good stadiums apart from Mpira which is also small. It will be a good alternative to Kamuzu Stadium,” Chigoga said.
The MDC Stadium, Chilomoni, Blantyre, fell into abandonment following the disbanding of MDC United in 2004. The situation worsened after previous tenants such as Surestream Academy and Premier Bet Wizards closed in 2016 and disbanded in 2017, respectively. In 2006, the facility was leased to Wanderers but they vacated it four years later. It was later renovated by Surestream in 2012 but was abandoned when the academy closed in 2016.
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Fam took control of the facility following the departure of Wizards in 2017 before it was handed to Super League of Malawi (Sulom). Three years later, Fam repossessed it.