Super League of Malawi rejects Moyale plea to lift ban
Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has turned down Moyale Barracks FC appeal to lift the ban imposed on its four players after the disciplinary committee found them and the club guilty of causing violence in a TNM Super League match against Bullets F.C at Mzuzu Stadium on September 8th, 2012.
Moyale Barracks as a club was ordered to play the games away from their home ground Mzuzu Stadium.
In individual punishments, Sulom banned defender Anthony Manda not to play six games while Timothy Nyirenda, Victor Phiri and Lovemore Mitengo were banned not to play games for six months.
In an appeal letter dated 12th September 2012 Moyale FC stated that they were in agreement with the K200, 000 fine imposed on the club itself.
However, Moyale FC raised objections in among other things requesting that the orders made against the individual players (i.e. concerning their suspension and fines) be suspended pending the findings of their Board of Inquiry which they had instituted to investigate the matter internally.
The Club also requested that their next game in super league against Red Lions should be played at Mzuzu Stadium
The team is likely to feel the pinch of the ban in playing away from home this Saturday as they face Civo in the first leg of the 2012 Standard Bank quarterfinal.
Moyale also appealed that the K70, 000 fine which the Moyale FC player Timothy Nyirenda was ordered to pay was manifestly excessive and should be reduced.
All in all, Moyale’s FC’s request that the suspensions of the players should be lifted pending the findings of their independent Board of Inquiry.
But the appeals committee has expressed lack of confidence on the independent inquiry board instituted by Moyale since it is from the concerned party.
In response to the appeal by Moyale on reducing the fine of players, the committee has only reduced the fine of two players while the ban remains intact.
“The Appeals Committee recommends that the fines for the two Moyale FC players named Victor Phiri and Lovemore Mitengo should be reduced from K50, 000 to K40, 000. This takes into account the fact that these players committed their violations at half time when SULOM could have adequately dealt with the same” Reads part of the appeals committee report.
But the committee declined to reduce the fine of Timothy Nyirenda but rather increased the fine.
“The Appeals Committee recommends that the fine which the Moyale FC player known as Timothy Nyirenda should pay should be raised from K70,000 to K90,000,” reads the report accusing the player of orchestrating all the violence.
The committee says Timothy Nyirenda’s actions are the ones which most directly and materially contributed to the incitement of the violence that ensued after the game.
The Appeals Committee recommends that Moyale FC’s next match scheduled for the 16th September 2012 should still be played at Mzuzu Stadium and this is so to prevent Moyale FC from having to suffer great financial and logistical inconvenience in rescheduling the match.
However, the next four games after this Sunday’s game will be played at a neutral venue in accordance with the findings and ruling of the disciplinary committee.
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