By Draxon Maloya
Some soccer enthusiasts in the northern region have expressed disappointment with maladministration and the current poor playing surface of the Rumphi Stadium.
The facility has drastically degraded into a poor state sporting facility, which has now become very dry, bumpy, and dusty due to inadequate care posing danger to the players.
The poor condition of the facility, associated with its maladministration, was exposed on Sunday when it hosted an all military TNM Super League match between Moyale Barracks and MAFCO.
The management of the facility failed to mark the pitch or water the playing grass turf, allowing termites to develop shelters, led Match Commissioner Mabvuto Msimuko to initially refuse to allow the referees to officiate the match.
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After some discussions, it was agreed that the match would be played, but with caution. However, the stadium authorities’ efforts to mark the pitch during halftime were unsuccessful.
They brought a land cruiser vehicle onto the field with a reportedly borrowed bag of lime, but the teams were already entering the field, leading to another verbal outburst between stadium officials and players.
During post-match interviews, coaches from both sides expressed disappointment with the current condition of Rumphi Stadium, describing it as not playable.
“We can’t keep our players safe from injuries if we continue playing on such a bumpy, dry, and dusty field, which we cannot tell the last time it got watered,” said MAFCO coach Stereo Gondwe.
Moyale Barracks coach Charles Kamanga described the pitch as a “Gologota” that had cost his first-choice goalkeeper Olisy Nkhwazi an injury. “Our goalkeeper has dislocated his shoulder having landed on the dry and hard playing field, whose watering period is not known,” Kamanga added.
An ardent soccer enthusiast, Davie Chipeta, expressed disappointment and suggested that the Super League of Malawi should reconsider hosting matches at Mzuzu Stadium.
“The Super League of Malawi should reconsider visiting Rumphi Stadium for another round of inspection to see if it still qualifies to host high-profile football matches in line with the country’s ‘Football Transformation Agenda’,” Chipeta said.
In a striking irony, the Football Association of Malawi had previously rejected Mzuzu Stadium as a venue for high-profile matches due to faulty toilets, only to redirect those matches to Rumphi Stadium, which is now plagued by its own set of problems, including poor management and a subpar playing field.
