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Football Association of Malawi (Fam) has accused Bakili Bullets of playing hide-and-seek on the issue of honouring stakeholders’ payment for last Saturday’s Caf Champions League game against Orlando Pirates.
The association’s acting president Anderson Zimba and administrative officer Lawrence Waya said the Bullets had promised to pay the stakeholders including Fam, government and Sports Council their shares on Monday but never lived up to their word.
Waya said the Bullets and the stakeholders agreed on K1.4 (13,084) million as an estimated figure from which they would get their shares.
“For both games (Pirates and Zanaco) it comes up to K2.8 million and therefore our 10 percent cut is supposed to be K280,000 and we are also supposed to get US $1,200 (about K130,800) as Caf’s minimum cut for both games,” explained Waya.
Government and Sports Council are supposed to get 25 and five percent shares respectively.
“It was agreed in the presence of all the stakeholders that the arrangement for free entry at the open stands, courtesy of Bullets’ sponsor former president Bakili Muluzi, could go ahead but there was a condition that payment should be made on Monday. In fact, the Bullets gave us the impression that the money was available and it was just a question of withdrawing it from the bank.
“But today is Wednesday and they have done nothing about it,” added Waya.
The Fam administrator said it is not the first time the people’s team has pulled a fast one on the association and the other stakeholders.
“They acted in a similar manner when they hosted Zanaco and have not paid us even a penny up to now,” said Waya.
He added: “We do not want to be seen as if we are embarrassing the former state president because it is the club that we deal with as an association. They should learn to live by their word. If something has gone wrong then they should have the courtesy to communicate.”
However, Bullets’ vice treasurer Kondi Msungama shot down Fam’s claims, saying: “Mr Waya is lying, that was not the agreement, in fact, he was not present at the said meeting.
“The agreement was that after getting payment for fans entry at the open stands from our sponsor, we would add it up with the cash realised from VIP, Covered Stands and MBC Stand and then start making payments. We have already paid stewards and cashiers and we are in the process of paying the major stakeholders—Fam, Council and Government,” said the silver tongued Msungama.
However, Zimba insisted that it was Msungama himself who is being economical with the truth.
“Mr Msungama is just trying to buy time otherwise that was not the arrangement,” said Zimba.
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