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Date
Of Article: 4/2/2003
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| Govt rescues Fam | |
| By: Garry Chirwa | |
| Fam was caught with its pants down last week when Le Meridien Mount Soche Hotel management refused to allow the visiting Nigeria national soccer team to put up at the hotel because of Fam’s outstanding balance at the four-star hotel. Director of sports in the ministry of sports Bester Kalombo disclosed on Tuesday that government had to intervene to convince the hotel management to take the visiting West African team on board. “When the Nigerians were arrived at Mount Soche Hotel, the hotel’s management made it very clear that they would not check them in unless Fam settled a K600,000 bill incurred when Fam hosted DRC. “It took the intervention of the minister of sports Hon. Moses Dossi and myself to convince the management that government would pay for the Nigerians,” explained Kalombo. He added that government has since paid about K1.1 million which was the cost of hosting the Nigerians at the hotel. “Actually Fam came up with a budget of K2,155,000 as total costs of hosting the Nigerians as well as Flames’ camping at Kamuzu Academy which amounted to K337,000. In fact I saw some personnel from Kamuzu Academy at Chichiri Stadium on Saturday and I am sure they were here to get their money. “Now, simple calculations show that Fam still had a K1 million remainder and we do not know what they did with the money... It should be clarified here that all the costs of preparing for last Saturday’s Africa Nations Cup qualifier against Nigeria, were met by government through Sports Council,” explained Kalombo. Kalombo said this in reaction to Fam’s statement on Monday that part of the K3.4 million made from gate takings during the game would go towards preparatory costs of the match. A record K5,882,469 was realised from gate collections from which Fam got K3,464,810.30 while government took away K1,237,432.25 ground levy. Sports Council pocketed K297,486.45. |
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