FLEETWOOD HAIYA: New Dawn For the Super League of Malawi?

 

On 25th February 2023, Fleetwood Haiya defeated the then incumbent Tiya Somba Banda to become the new President of the Super League of Malawi. Having demonstrated revolutionary leadership at the country’s football powerhouse, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, where he had led the transformation of Bullets from a hooligan-led outfit to a proper professional trailblazing entity, Haiya came into the elections holding a strong upper-hand. This background helped him to ease his way past Somba Banda, who had overseen a stale SULOM under his watch.

Haiya’s ascendancy to the helm of SULOM is a critical juncture that has the potential to resuscitate Malawian football. At the moment, according to TeamForm’s ranking of domestic football leagues in Africa, Malawi’s top-tier football league occupies number 41 out of 48 ranked domestic leagues on the continent. At a quick glance, given that Malawi currently ranks 32 out 54 on the continent on FIFA rankings, one would be tempted to take a dismissive approach to TeamForm’s ranking of our league. However, when we analyze the Malawi national team’s record in CHAN (we have never qualified for the finals), our local clubs’ underwhelming record in CAF tournaments, and the recent destination of exports from our league, one is tempted to acknowledge the outcome of TeamForm’s assessment. It’s a fact that the TNM Super League needs to be “revived, reformed, and rebranded” in order to compete with other leagues on the continent.

This is where Mr. Haiya and his well-curated manifesto come in. As I have already acknowledged, Haiya has a proven record of transformative leadership in football. The remarkable work he spearheaded at FCB Nyasa Big Bullets speaks volume of his abilities. Through its 5 “strategic pillars,” Haiya’s manifesto aims to institute essential structural transformations that will streamline the administrative and financial management of the league and, more importantly, its composite clubs. The changes outlined are long overdue. To an extent, the manifesto shies away from providing a clear breakdown of how the figures promised will be attained but I like that it commits to bring grandeur financial flows to individual clubs. Clubs like Ekwendeni Hammers, Waka Waka Tigers, and Bangwe All Stars, for example, surely could do with any financial boost.

That being said, I would like to highlight, emphasize, and, where possible, call to attention the following actionable “minor” transformations that, from my experience of attending Super League matches, will signify that we have embarked on a journey to transition Malawian football from the amateurish management to professionalism.

New man at the helm: Fleetwood Haiya

        1. Online Presence

Isn’t it a shame that in 2023, SULOM does not have a functioning website nor active accounts on social media? Stuck in the 20^th Century, SULOM continues to rely on the radio as the main medium for engaging and communicating with fans. This is embarrassing. In this day and age, SULOM should have an active website that will be a central source of reputable information for interested stakeholders. In the absence of SULOM’s website, Owinna.com has done a fair job filling the void, but this should not justify SULOM’s online blackout. Luckily, Haiya’s manifesto acknowledges this problem, which gives me hope that it will be addressed as soon as possible. When the promised unlocking of the club’s financial streams materializes, I hope the same will apply to the clubs. It’s about time they all had functioning websites.

       2. Fixture Sanity

Proper fixture management remained a chaotic endeavor for the previous regime and those that came before it. Here, I am referring to haphazard fixture changes, teams playing 5 consecutive games home/away, some teams playing 5 games more than others at a given point, and, during the final weeks, ignoring head to head contentions in the relegation zone. If the Haiya presidency can manage to release one fixture for the entire season, which can be modified minimally where necessary, then I would count that as a success. In addition to a stable fixture, I also expect matches kicking off on time throughout the season. At the moment, it is not uncommon for matches scheduled to kick off at 2:30PM starting at 2:36PM, for example, which, depending on the stage of the league, opens a room for match fixing.

Key to the game: referees [source: Aluso Media]

        3.  Referees’ Welfare and Performance

It is an open secret that officiating Super League matches is not a lucrative endeavor. Most referees go through a painful rite of passage to earn the right to officiate in the Super League (ref beatings in lower divisions are a common phenomenon), such that it is a big mockery to the profession to honor them with pitifulallowances that, more often, are rarely paid on time. In ability to pay referees creates disgruntled referees that are prone to bribes and makes the profession less appealing to budding referees. Apart from remunerations, most referees could do with more training. A week barely passes by in the Super League without referees being at center stage of questionable match outcomes. Apart from Bernadetta Kwimbila, we barely have referees with strong international reputation, which shows the pathetic state of match officiating in the country. Certainly, more trainings are needed. Still on referees, what if all referees should be required to disclose their favorite local clubs, such that a known Bullets fan should not be officiating Bullets matches, for example? More importantly, referee match assignments should not be confined by region. This could help address acts associated with the “ma ref akumpoto,” “ma ref apakati,” and “ma ref akumwera” tags.

        4. Root Out Juju Shenanigans

Given how embedded juju is in Malawian football, is this even a fair request? It is an open secret that Malawians are overly superstitious bunch and most local footballers and football administrators alike are hardcore believers of it. A spectacle that stuns unsuspecting minds, the belief in juju continues to induce diabolical behaviors at football matches, some which threaten the health of others. Grown men pissing on goal posts, players climbing over fences, pouring urine on opposing players….all these vices continue to happen at Super League matches. I expect Haiya’s administration will take a hard stance against any club and fanbase found to engage in these acts.

One of the Super League teams: Ekwendeni Hammers [source: Aluso Media]

        5. Unrealistic Club Licensing Requirements

The transfer window ahead of the 2023 season has been rather unique because, in addition to hunting for new players’ signatures, Super League clubs have been preoccupied with the rush to “buy” female football clubs in order to meet the new club licensing rules. Ideally, this is meant to promote women’s football – which is a noble cause in its own right. However, considering the financial status of most clubs in the league (most barely afford to fulfil league assignments), one wonders if demanding them to run a women’s team as well is a justified request at the moment? Surprisingly, the 2022 edition of CAF’s club licensing regulations DOES NOT make having a women’s team a mandatory requirement for domestic club licensing criteria. Even FAM’s latest club licensing document available on their website does not make it a must to have a women’s football team. So why are clubs being rushed to adopt this burden? Clubs like Bullets, Wanderers, and Silver Strikers probably can afford to shoulder this responsibility, but the same cannot be said about Chitipa United, Extreme United, and Tigers, for instance. If anything, it will be the individual female footballers playing for these teams that will suffer massive exploitation. All for what? So that somebody can use this ill-advised experiment to campaign for his return to the FIFA Executive Committee? Anyway, since your manifesto promises a SULOM that protects the interests of all clubs (not just the main 3) resist this insanity, Mr. Haiya!

That being said, I wish Mr. Haiya all the best with the presidency.