Africa-Press – Malawi. Southern Region Football Association (SRFA) is pushing for the inclusion of its Thumbs Up Premier Division finalists Bangwe All Stars on the list of TNM Super League teams for the 2023 season after missing the January 15 Club Licensing application deadline.
Bangwe automatically qualified as the region’s representatives in the new season on Sunday after Nyasa Big Bullets Reserve thrashed Fomo 4-0 on aggregate to qualify for the final.
The Blantyre-based side made it into the final after beating MDF Marine 5-3 on aggregate last month. According to SRFA chairperson Raphael Humba, Bullets Reserve cannot be promoted because they are a reserve side of a Super League club.
“Football Association of Association (Fam) instructed us that reserve sides of Super League clubs cannot be promoted. They can only be champions of our league. So whether Bangwe win or lose against Bullets Reserve on Saturday in the final, they will still be the team to earn promotion to the Super League from our region,” Humba said.
He said they are currently helping Bangwe officials to push through their Club Licensing application after missing the deadline by over a week. “We have given them application forms for Club Licensing and we are helping them to push the process through. We are grateful that Fam officials have understood our situation because they know exactly what delayed us,” Humba said.
He was referring to the case between Fomo and Changalume Barracks which ended with an appeal at Fam’s Disciplinary Committee on January 14, just a day before closure of applications for Super League Club Licensing.
Bangwe owner Mphatso Jika said he received the forms last week and would submit them to Fam. “Seeing my team playing in the Super League has been my long-cherished dream. I am therefore finalising the forms and I will submit them on Wednesday. I am ready for top flight football,” Jika said.
Fam Compliance Manager Casper Jangale only said it was not automatic that Bangwe would play in the top flight league as the deadline for application had passed.
Jangale declined to comment further, saying all he had were applications from 14 clubs that want their teams to play in the Super League. Central Region Football Association is the only league that is yet to produce a champion for the elite league.
Northern Region Football Association was the first to declare its champions, Chitipa United, who return to the top flight after just a season. Fam had asked the regional leagues to conclude their games by December 31.
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