The final whistle on that fateful day in 2023 echoed like a death knell through the corridors of Malawi Police Headquarters. Blue Eagles, having clawed their way from ninth to what they hoped would be survival, instead plummeted to fourteenth—relegated not by points, but by the cruellest of tiebreakers.
The mathematics were brutal in their precision: Blue Eagles and Moyale Barracks stood level on 35 points, identical in every measurable statistic—eight wins, eleven draws, eleven defeats, thirty-two goals scored, thirty-two conceded. Yet only one could stay. The head-to-head record became the executioner’s axe, and the Area 30-based outfit found themselves cast down to the Chipiku Central Region League.
MORE NEWS FROM WAMPIRA
- Poor Pay Forces Super League Players to Flock to Social Football
- Chatama: “We want to finish the first round in the top four, that’s where we belong.”
- Goshen City reach agreement with Kinah to boost Dedza’s technical panel
- Blue Eagles lands “multimillion” sponsorship deal with WSB
- Tigers Roar Loud to Frustrate Bankers
Eagles protested vehemently, arguing that the head-to-head provision hadn’t been clearly stipulated in the league’s regulations. Their appeals fell on deaf ears. The 2024 season would be spent in exile, though they made it a triumphant one—marching through the Central Region League undefeated, reclaiming their elite status with the championship secured.
But 2025 has been about more than mere return. This has been resurrection.
The challenges mounted early and often. Andrew Jovinala departed for FCB Nyasa Big Bullets before the campaign began. Schumacher Kuwali followed shortly after the season commenced. Levison Mnyenyembe left mid-season. Then came the ultimate blow: head coach Elia Kananji himself decamped to Creck Sporting while the season was still in progress.
Lesser teams would have crumbled. Blue Eagles soared.
Under Decklerk Msakakuona, who stepped up from technical director to assume the head coaching role, the police outfit finished fourth—a remarkable achievement that has seen them equal Chitipa United’s 2023 record as the highest-finishing promoted side behind the traditional big three.
The parallels are striking: Chitipa, under Macdonald Mtetemera, managed 14 wins, 6 draws, 10 losses, 31 goals scored and 29 conceded. Eagles have matched that tally almost exactly with 13 wins, 9 draws, 8 losses, 38 goals scored and 30 conceded.
“We have finished position four. I can assure you that, yes, the boys played well,” Msakakuona reflected, his satisfaction evident. “They fought for their lives in each and every game. The players approached every match like a cup final. We haven’t lost in our last six matches—it shows they had the heart, the desire to win.”
| Season | Position | Points | W | D | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 5th | 45 | 12 | 9 | 9 |
| 2018 | 11th | 35 | 9 | 8 | 13 |
| 2019 | 3rd | 53 | 15 | 8 | 7 |
| 2020–21 | 12th | 32 | 7 | 11 | 12 |
| 2022 | 2nd | — | 18 | 9 | 3 |
| 2023 | 14th | 35 | 8 | 11 | 11 |
| 2025 | 4th | 48 | 13 | 9 | 8 |
Position Movement Strip
- 2017 → 2018: ⬇️ Drop (5th → 11th)
- 2018 → 2019: ⬆️ Surge (11th → 3rd)
- 2019 → 2020–21: ⬇️ Collapse (3rd → 12th)
- 2020–21 → 2022: ⬆️ Title push (12th → 2nd)
- 2022 → 2023: ⬇️ Major dip (2nd → 14th)
- 2023 → 2025: ⬆️ Recovery (14th → 4th)
That closing run tells the story of Eagles’ season. Just six games into the second round, few would have predicted a fourth-place finish. But their final nine matches saw them transformed into giant-killers and point-collectors alike.
Six victories came in succession against Ekhaya, Mafco FC, Chitipa United, Kamuzu Barracks, Songwe Border United, and Mighty Tigers. A solitary defeat to Moyale Barracks at home—perhaps poetic justice for their 2023 tormentors—and creditable draws against champions FCB Nyasa Big Bullets and Silver Strikers completed an extraordinary finish.
The reward is tangible: qualification for the 2026 Airtel Top 8 Cup, a competition they last graced in 2025 and won in 2018. More importantly, Blue Eagles have announced their return to the upper echelons of Malawian football.
This is a club with pedigree. They finished second in 2022, third in 2019 while also lifting the FDH Bank Cup that same year. The recent years in the wilderness were an aberration, not the norm.
Now, having survived relegation’s heartbreak and navigated a season of departures that would have sunk most clubs, Blue Eagles have not merely returned—they have flourished. If there’s a most improved team award to be claimed, it surely has their name on it.
From the ashes of that devastating 2023 finale, the police outfit has risen. Blue Eagles are flying high once more, and Malawian football is richer for their resilience.
Discover more from Wa Mpira
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
