By Mana
Karonga United Football Club has requested that their upcoming TNM Super League home fixture against Nyasa Big Bullets, originally scheduled for Karonga Stadium on Saturday, be played at Chitipa Stadium to protect the club from continued revenue losses.
General Secretary for Karonga United, Ramsey Simwaka, said the decision follows persistent financial challenges caused by supporters forcing their way into the stadium without paying during home matches in Karonga.
We want to maximise gate collections in Chitipa because when we play in Karonga, a lot of people jump over the walls or overpower security and enter without paying, he said.
Simwaka added that the club survives solely on gate revenue due to having no sponsor. He appealed to supporters to act responsibly.The club has no sponsors and we rely entirely on gate collections for survival. We urge our home fans to love their team by paying at the gates instead of denying the club its much needed revenue, he said.
However, the decision has frustrated some supporters. A fan, Aaron Mwanyongo, said many Karonga based supporters may not manage to travel to Chitipa.
With the current economic challenges, most people will not manage transport to Chitipa.
This decision might leave the boys without proper support. The team should instead beef up security at Karonga Stadium rather than punishing loyal supporters like this, he said.
Another supporter, Nathan Musyani, said the club should consider more sustainable solutions.
We understand the money problem, but shifting games is not sustainable. The club, supporters and local authorities should work together to find better crowd control measures that allow matches to remain in Karonga, he said.
Musyani added that losing the home ground advantage may affect the teams performance.
In football the home ground advantage helps teams get points, but in this case our team will be away in a big match which was supposed to be watched by the home fans, he said.
Karonga United are currently fourth in the TNM Super League with 40 points from 25 games.
