Three players belonging
to the reigning Malawi
Presidential Cup champions,
Mafco, were killed in a road
accident Friday morning in the
central district of Nkhota Kota,
police have confirmed.
“We confirm the death of three
Mafco players and the injury of
three others,” Nkhota Kota police
spokesman Kaitano Lubrino told
PANA Friday.
Mafco, a Malawi Army outfit
based at the Malawi Defence
Forces training college in the
central lakeshore district of
Salima, was in Nkhota Kota facing
another Malawi Army team,
Moyale, based in the northern
city of Mzuzu, in a Carlsberg Cup
quarter final game. The game,
played on Wednesday, ended in a
one-all draw but Moyale won 3-1
in post-match penalties.
Mafco General Secretary Oscar
Lipenga said said the team
decided to stay on in Nkhota
Kota after the midweek game
because it had to fulfil other
fixtures in the top-flight Super
League.
“Six players left camp and went
out on a drinking binge after the
game and we suspended them
and ordered them to leave for
home,” he said.
Lipenga said they got a call in the
wee hours of Friday that there
was an accident and three of
their players died on the spot.
Lubrino, the Nkhota Kota police
spokesman, said the six left the
district late Thursday night in a
truck which was involved in
accident.
Lubrino identified the deceased
players as Sadan Magwere, Gift
Mphonde, Chifundo Phiri. The
injured players are Sailesi Phiri,
Jimmy Mzunga and Gift Soko,
according to Lubrino.
The police spokesman said driver
of the truck, Edwin Kalebu, told
police he had seven passengers
on board his truck. At around
midnight he was trying to
negotiate a curve when was
interrupted by a sign-post
indicating a breakdown in front
of him.
“This prompted him to divert
and, in the course, lost control of
the vehicle which overturned,”
he said.
Four people died on the spot
including the football players and
an assistant driver. The three
other players were rushed to a
nearby mission hospital.
Lipenga, the Mafco general
secretary, said the team was
shocked by the death of the
three players.
“These were key players in our
team,” he said.
Source
www.newstimeafrica.com/archives/32813

Oh no!

Things gone awry