Malawi Clubs Banned

The Super League of Malawi (Sulom) has banned from football Silver Strikers and Mighty Wanderers for eight and five months respectively after finding them guilty of causing violence in last Saturday's aborted TNM Super League decisive match at Balaka Stadium where a fan died.

Sulom Disciplinary Committee meeting chaired by Christopher Chibwana in Blantyre on December 31 2013 further fined a total of Silver MK2,9 500.

00 (R73 750) and Wanderers MK700, 000 (R17 500) each for their roles in the chaos that broke out, leaving Wanderers' fan Linias Josta dead and 20 others, from either side, injured in a stampede.

(MK40=R1).
'Silver Strikers FC are found guilty of inciting violence which led to the abandonment of the match and disrupting of the normal proceedings of the TNM Super League game on the 28th December, 2013 at Balaka on the 61st minute contrary to Sulom rules and regulations and Fifa Disciplinary code and are hereby fined K2, 500 000.

That was coercion; brawl and offensive behavior brought the game of football into disrepute,' reads the verdict signed by Sulom general secretary Williams Banda.

'Both Wanderers and Silver are guilty of failure to control the actions of their supportersand are hereby punished as follows: Both Silver and Wanderers are fined K450 000 each.

Both Silver and Wanderers are suspended from all football activities in a bid to restore public order for eight and five months respectively as they are habitual violence perpetrators from the last game of the current season,' added the statement made available to SuperSport.

Com.
'Mighty Wanderers failed to provide adequate security to visiting team as well as spectators.

and are hereby seriously warned and fined K250 000.

Silver fans Austin Phiri and Bruno Makina should be prosecuted as criminals.

' 'The committee finds that the match was abandoned at Balaka on 61st minute due to violence and in line with Fifa Disciplinary code article 56 and Sulom constitution and rules and regulations orders that it should be replayed in closed doors and that all security costs should be shared by the two teams not later than 4th January, 2014.

Silver, who just need a draw against Wanderers to seal the league championship, led 1-0 before the match was abandoned.

Sulom said both teams can appeal against the verdict upon payment of K450 000 non-refundable fee within 48 hours from the time of release of the verdict.

Speaking to the local media, Wanderers' general secretary David Kanyenda described the verdict as too harsh while Silver chairperson Dr.

McDonald Mafuta Mwale reserved his comment.
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