Rachael Kaphaizi

Super League of Malawi (Sulom) President Gilbert Mitawa has highlighted a critical issue affecting fixture scheduling in Malawian football.

Speaking in Wa Ganyu Exclusive, Mitawa said that with the majority of teams in the elite division not owning grounds, scheduling of matches is at the discretion of ground owners.

“Most teams do not have their own grounds, so they borrow venues. This makes it tough to schedule fixtures because sometimes three teams need the same ground at the same time. Since we cannot play three games there on the same day, we are forced to change the fixture,” he said.

Mitawa has called upon the Ministry of Sports to lobby for constructing new and completion of additional stadiums to address the problem and boost the development of the game.

He also pointed out that weather conditions play a significant role in fixture changes, revealing that Sulom often tries to condense the schedule to avoid playing during the rainy season due to the poor state of most pitches.

Last season, Mighty Wanderers, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, Mighty Tigers, and Ekhaya FC were all using Kamuzu Stadium as their home ground.