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BLANTYRE. — The image of football in Malawi has been thrown into disrepute after Anti Corruption Bureau issued a stop order to Southern Region Football Association and Football Association of Malawi from proceeding with the elections scheduled for Mangochi last weekend following allegations of bribes in the nomination process.
ACB director, Reyneck Matemba, confirmed the graft-busting body’s move followed complaints from some affiliates in the nomination process.
SRFA chairperson Raphael Humba was set to go unopposed during the body’s elections.
But some officials lodged a complaint about how the nomination process was handled — albeit corruptly.
The graft-busting body is also investigating officials in the Central Region Football Association where it has stopped elections scheduled for tomorrow.
The issues at hand seem to be similar.
CRFA incumbent vice-chairperson, Simeon Lijenje, and vice-general secretary, Owen Munthali, lodged a complaint to FAM on how the nomination process was allegedly fraudulently handled.
In the CRFA, all the nine district committees nominated incumbent chairperson, Austin Ajawa, to retain the hot seat unopposed along with general-secretary, Bernard Chiwiriwiri Harawa, vice general-secretary, Antonio Manda, and vice-treasurer Missi Bwanali.
Ajawa’s potential challenger, former FAM first-vice president James Mwenda, who lost the FAM presidential elections to Walter Nyamilandu last December, did not receive a nomination.
Football analyst, David Kanyenda, said ACB’s probe into FAM and their affiliates will likely raise the attention of FIFA’s Ethics and Integrity committee.
Kanyenda, who is also a private practice lawyer, said FAM’s failure to address electoral disputes, which have dogged their affiliates, was the genesis of the problems the association find itself in.
He said: “FAM, the body responsible for running local football, has been dogged by a spate of accusations regarding corrupt practices, particularly during the conduct of elections.
“The ACB restriction notice comes as no real surprise to domestic football followers given the rising frequency of complaints pertaining to alleged electoral irregularities.” Kanyenda observed that the mother body’s procrastination in the matter was a result of the power struggle over control of the regional associations.
“At the heart of the matter is in fact, a bitter power struggle to influence the composition of the affiliate bodies that in turn, constitute an electoral college for the FAM Executive Committee,” he said.
Each region contribute six delegates to the FAM AGM and combined, form half of the 36 electors. — Nyasa Times.
Online Reporter