Presidential Cup back after two years break, registration begins

Blantyre,
All is set for the Presidential Football Cup to commerce after two years of absence, as Football Association of Malawi (FAM) announced in Blantyre on Saturday that registration for the cup is underway.
FAM Competitions Manager, Gomezgani Zakazaka said they have already communicated to all district football authorities to register a minimum of 32 teams each. The registration fee has been pegged at K10000.
“The tournament will start at district level on March 5, meaning that those teams interested to join have a week to register,” said Zakazaka.
Instead, Zakazaka has urged all the interested teams to make sure that they have paid the registration fee in time because they should not expect an extension.
The cup which will be open to all teams starting at district level and will kick off on 5th March 2015, will run up to 30th June, 2016.
As the District teams are battling for district honours, Regional League teams will also be battling for regional championships. The district champions will join the four top regional teams and Super League teams for a national draw at a later stage.
Presidential Cup activities for the youth, women and Beach Soccer will be communicated at a later stage.
The cup was absent for two years because FAM failed to organize it after it diverted part of the funding to the Malawi national football team.
The Presidential Football Cup is a national football competition introduced by the Malawi Government in April, 2008 as a Presidential Initiative to primarily promote and develop the game of football in the country.
It is a brainchild of the late State President, Professor Bingu Wa Mutharika geared towards improving the standard of football in the country and providing wholesome entertainment to soccer loving Malawians across the entire breadth of the country.
The Cup is administered by Football Association of Malawi (FAM), the governing body of football in the country, mandated by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) to organize, administer, develop and control the game of football at all levels.
Mighty Be Forward Wanderers was the first team to win the cup in 2009 after beating Escom United 3-2 in penalties.
Nyasa Big Bullets, Civo United and Mafco FC are some of the teams that have won the Presidential Cup before.