Neighbouring villages united in their love of football
Ciara Kenny
The sun is beginning to hang heavy in the sky at 3.30pm as 22 already sweaty men run out onto Chilobwe’s football pitch, to the whoops and chants from the crowd on either side of the field. Chilobwe are playing the neighbouring village of Mbunda in one of the most hotly anticipated matches of the season so far. The excitement is palpable as the fans sing and dance on the sidelines in support of their village team.
Every village in Mfumbeni has a football pitch, and the sport is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the district. Tournaments and leagues are organised a couple of times a year, and attract large crowds. The league which is taking place at the moment is the most important of the year, with 30 teams competing over the course of three months.
“The finals are huge events,” says Mike Nyewali from Makwatata village. “People travel very long distances to Chilobwe to watch the last couple of matches. A grass thatched fence is put up around the field, and spectators who have travelled from villages near and far are charged 1000Kw (€0.20) to enter.”
Each team plays about once a week during the tournament, and Nyewali says the matches are a great opportunity to visit and meet people from other villages. “They also give the younger boys something to aspire to. They practice hard hoping that they will be able to be on the village team when they are older,” he says.
“Makwatata has a good team. We have never won the competition, but we have reached the semi-finals in the past.” He is looking forward to tomorrow afternoon, when Makwatata will take on Gone village.
They also give the younger boys something to aspire to. They practice hard hoping that they will be able to be on the village team when they are older.
And what about the women? “There is a similar netball tournament for women. It is almost as popular as the football,” says Nyewali. “The competition also attracts huge crowds.”
Matches are announced on the local radio station, Radio Breeze, and the rise of mobile phone usage in the area has also helped the organisers to spread the word about the time and location of the matches.
Each team in the football competition has their own strip. The lucky teams, usually the most successful or those from the biggest villages, are sponsored by local politicians looking to boost their popularity. Other teams, like Makwatata, raise the money for jerseys and the competition entry fee by doing “piece-works” (odd jobs) on other people’s farms. This year they had to raise a total of 300,000Kw (€50) for jerseys, and 100,000Kw for the entry fee.
Most of the players play barefoot, as they can’t afford running shoes or football boots, but many suffer injuries from other players who are wearing shoes, and some would like to see the introduction of an outright ban on footwear.
There are no injuries today, however, and competition is fierce between the two teams. At half time, Mbunda lead two goals to nil, but in the middle of the second half, Chilobwe score two goals in close succession, to the joy of their supporters who run onto the pitch cheering and singing. The women and children chant over to the other supporters “You thought you could beat us, you were wrong, we will show you that we are stronger.” It is a well known song among the crowd, though on this occasion the teams prove equally matched and the game ends in a two-all draw.
