Malawi vice president at Christian Fellowship trophy finals

Malawi vice state president Khumbo Kachale took time off his presidential schedule Saturday May 5 2012 to attend the final football match of a Christian charity shield christened FAMA Top 8 Trophy at Civo stadium in Lilongwe.

FAMA which stands for Fellowship Association of Malawi introduced the Trophy last year where only four teams took part and Civo Service United of Lilongwe grabbed the Trophy in the maiden year.

Eight teams were this time around roped in to compete in the trophy with the final game between the Lilongwe based Malawi Police Service side, Blue Eagles and the Blantyre based peoples team, Big Bullets.

The right honorable Kachale was in the company of Youth & Sports Minister Enock Chihana, Deputy Economic Planning & Development Minister Khwauli Msiska, some Parliamentarians and Politicians.

The match was also blessed with the presence of high profile sports personalities like Mr. Dean Josia-Banda.

The presence of the vice president and the sports minister has brought in an air of hope that the Joyce Banda led government might not ignore the country’s sporting activities.

During the normal playing time, the two finalists rocked 1-1 sending the game into post-match penalties, which Blue Eagles triumphed as it scored six of its seven penalty shoot outs against Bullets five.

For winning, Blue Eagles cart home a glittering FAMA trophy and a cheque of K 3million while Bullets drove back to Blantyre with a K 1million worth cheque.

The FAMA finals were scheduled early last month but following the death of the then Malawi President Professor Bingu wa Mutharika, the match was postponed.

During that time Bullets had already travelled to Lilongwe for the April 7 encounter and before the May 5 final date, the match has been switched to two other dates.

The country is mourning the departed Malawi leader 30-days from April 7, the day his death was officially pronounced and all sporting activities, unless with a special clearance are on bye.

Most affected have been games in the Presidential Initiative on Sports, a brain child of the late Mutharika, and the Southern Regional Football League, sponsored by Bingu’s younger brother, Peter Mutharika which is yet to produce a material for the Super League of Malawi.

And the FAMA finals has coincided with Malawi’s senior national football team away friendly match with China’s under 23 national team which crippled both Bullets and Eagles as they were forced to play without their key players.

The vice president was given an honor to present the FAMA trophy to the winners.