The 2024 football season will officially kick off on 30 March, the Football Association of Malawi confirmed.
On Saturday, the newly-elected FAM Committee had its first meeting in Mangochi where kick-off dates for the forthcoming season were approved.
“Subject to further engagements with key football stakeholders, that the 2024 football season commences on 6 April 2024 and be preceded by the NBS Charity Shield on 30 March 2024,” reads part of the communication FAM made.
This means the quadruple winners, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets, will open the new campaign with an NBS Bank Charity Shield fixture against Silver Strikers.
In the 2023 campaign, Bullets, who have won the Charity Shield for the last six seasons, became the first team in Malawi to win a quadruple after over 50 years.
Kalisto Pasuwa’s side successfully retained the FDH Bank Cup and the TNM Super League, before adding the Castel Challenge Cup and the Airtel Top 8 Cup to the plush trophy cabinet.
Our next meeting with Silver will be a repeat of the 2022 contest in which The People’s Team beat the Central Bankers 1-0 at Kamuzu Stadium to retain the Charity Shield for the fifth time before winning it again in 2023 after defeating rivals Mighty Mukuru Wanderers at the Bingu National Stadium.
The Charity Shield will allow Pasuwa to try his latest recruits and combinations after parting ways with several players at the end of the previous season.
Bullets have already made three signings ahead of the new campaign. Pasuwa has roped in midfielder Lloyd Aaron from Civil Service United on a three-year deal, brought back forward Babatunde Adepoju on a year-long loan agreement from South Africa’s Venda Football Academy and the 2023 TNM Super League Best Goalkeeper Innocent Nyasulu on a three-year permanent contract from Mighty Tigers.
The Malawi champions are set to regroup in Blantyre on 14th February to start preparing for the 2024 season.
