Successive Seasons of Decent Debutants: The Case of CRECK Sporting Club and Ekhaya FC

In the TNM Super League, debutants are often treated as temporary guests. The league welcomes them politely, tests them harshly, and waits to see whether they truly belong. Most spend their first season learning how heavy the doors are. In recent successive campaigns, however, some clubs arrived already carrying keys.

It started with Bangwe All Stars.

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Owned by Mphatso Jika, a prominent businessman from Bangwe Township, one of Blantyre’s most famous ghettos, the club announced itself boldly. Composed largely of FCB Nyasa Big Bullets reserve graduates and players drawn from teams such as Sable Farming and Ntopwa FC, Bangwe finished in a respectable position in their maiden elite league season in 2023.

They qualified for the Airtel Top 8 and were eliminated by Mighty Wanderers through post-match penalties after two legs that ended in shared 1–0 victories.

Sadly, Bangwe failed to replicate that debut performance and were relegated the following season.

The focus now shifts to CRECK Sporting Club in 2024 and Ekhaya FC in 2025, two debutants who did not come to experiment. They came prepared, backed, and guided by men who understood that survival in Malawi’s top flight is rarely accidental. Their seasons unfolded differently, yet both ended in the same quiet statement. A place in the top half. A ticket to the Airtel Top 8 Cup. Respect earned. Narrative changed.

CRECK Sporting Club and the Architecture of Belief

CRECK’s first steps in the 2024 season were deliberate. Under head coach McDonald Nginde Mtetemera, trusted after his fearless spell at Chitipa United where he humbled both Blantyre giants in 2023, the team looked organised from the opening whistle. His assistant, Joseph Kamwendo, brought balance and calm to the technical bench, complementing a philosophy that valued structure over spectacle.

The opening stretch of five matches set the tone. CRECK won two, drew one, and lost two. They recorded statement victories against Mighty Tigers (3–1) and Moyale Barracks (3–2), earned a hard-fought draw against Karonga United (1–1), and lost to Mighty Wanderers (3–0) and Mzuzu City Hammers (2–1). Those defeats exposed the gap between experience and ambition without breaking confidence. CRECK were firmly in the conversation, not the shadows.

That confidence was carefully constructed. The club recruited aggressively and purposefully, with nearly seventy percent of the starting eleven being new arrivals. Hadji Wali joined as a free agent and was immediately handed the captain’s armband, his pedigree from Silver Strikers and FCB Nyasa Big Bullets bringing authority to the back line. Babangida Ishaya added presence upfront, Ademola Ajibola brought midfield stability, while George Chaomba, released by Silver, and Talandira Chigaula from Bangwe All Stars added depth. Loan deals for Tathedwa Willard and goalkeeper Emmance Nyirenda from Silver further strengthened the spine.

Midway through the season, CRECK surged. Between matchweeks 14 and 17, they collected ten points from a possible twelve, beating Dedza Dynamos, MAFCO FC, and Baka City, and drawing against Kamuzu Barracks.

The final stretch revealed maturity. In their last four matches, CRECK beat Bangwe All Stars, drew with title contenders Mighty Wanderers and Chitipa United, and lost to FOMO FC. Those results secured sixth place. For a debutant, it was more than respectable. It was instructive. CRECK had learned how to compete over distance.

Behind the scenes, ownership mattered. Pastor Apostle Clifford Kawinga, a prominent religious leader and businessman and proprietor of CRECK Hardware and General Suppliers Limited, provided stability and clarity of purpose. He sponsored the team from the lower divisions where it operated as Kawinga FC to promotion into the elite league. Players were offered better payments than what most new teams are known for. This was not a rushed project. It was a statement of intent anchored in planning.

Ekhaya FC and the Patience of Continuity

Ekhaya FC’s 2025 journey followed a quieter rhythm. Mentored by Enos Chatama, a long-time architect of talent at Bullets Reserve, Ekhaya arrived with a squad already fluent in his methods. Many players followed him from the reserve setup, creating familiarity that proved invaluable under pressure.

The opening five matches reflected that continuity. Ekhaya won three and lost two. They beat Mighty Tigers (2–0), Civil Service United (1–0), and Songwe Border United (2–1), and lost away to Chitipa United (1–0) and Kamuzu Barracks (1–0). The results were modest, but the performances were composed. They conceded little, pressed selectively, and showed patience in possession.

Recruitment reinforced the vision. Innocent Msowoya, formerly captain at Bangwe All Stars, was appointed skipper. Emmanuel Savieli arrived on loan from Mufulira Wanderers in Zambia, adding international steel to the attack. Clever Chikwata, Happy Mphepo, Wongani Kaponya from Bullets Reserve, and goalkeeper Elias Missi, formerly of Bangwe All Stars, added options. Stanley Billiat, Alick Lungu, Kesten Simbi, and Fanizo Mwansambo completed a squad built more on understanding than reputation.

At the break, Ekhaya strengthened further, signing Blessings Malinda and Moses Banda from Civil Service United, Levison Mnyenyembe from Blue Eagles, and Lewa Ngosi from Songwe Border United, who is yet to feature.

Mid-season was Ekhaya’s toughest passage. Between matchweeks 14 and 18, they collected just three points from a possible fifteen. They beat MAFCO FC (1–0) but lost to Silver Strikers (3–0), MAFCO FC (2–1), Civil Service United (1–0), and Mzuzu City Hammers (2–1).

Momentum returned in matchweek 19 with a commanding 4–1 win over Songwe and a 3–0 thrashing of Kamuzu Barracks.

The closing five matches demanded composure. Ekhaya won two and lost three, collecting six vital points. A final-day victory over Mighty Tigers sealed their position, while defeats to Silver Strikers, Moyale Barracks, and CRECK Sporting Club served as reminders of the league’s unforgiving ceiling. They finished seventh. Another debutant. Another Airtel Top 8 qualification.

Ownership again played its part. Ekhaya is owned by the Dr Thomson Mpinganjira family and run by his son, William Mpinganjira. With business interests spanning agriculture through Ekhaya Farm Foods and beyond, the club benefited from steady backing and long-term thinking rather than emotional decision-making.

The growing competitiveness of the league, not only through impressive debutants but also through the rotation of champions, has satisfied both the Super League of Malawi and Telecommunications Network Malawi, the league sponsors.

Bullets won the league in 2023, Silver Strikers in 2024, and Mighty Wanderers this campaign.

Prominent local analyst Twaha Silva Chimuka has described the journeys of these debutants as early victories over the fear of relegation.

This aligns with what coach Chatama said at the start of the season.

“Our aim is to avoid relegation while building a team that will become a football powerhouse in Malawi. We want to reach the level of Bullets, Silver, and Wanderers, but for this season, survival was the target,” Chatama said.

Chimuka added that preparedness separated these debutants from many established sides.

“We still have a league where player welfare and organisational structures remain concerns for many teams. This has allowed debutants like CRECK and Ekhaya to gain an upper hand over some of the old guards.

“Look at recruitment, incentives, and how the right people are placed in the right roles. These factors worked in favour of CRECK and Ekhaya,” he explained.

While many teams are only now realising the importance of media teams and clearly defined roles, CRECK and Ekhaya arrived with that understanding, operating more like organised companies than football experiments.

That should serve as a wake-up call to established mid-table teams. If they do not adapt, they will continue to lose their places to debutants who run their clubs properly.

It should also educate newly promoted teams, and those yet to be promoted, if they are to compete with purpose rather than merely participate and face relegation.

The 2026 season will welcome Red Lions and Baka City back into the elite league after a season in the National Division League, alongside Mitundu Baptist, who will test top-flight football for the first time.

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CRECK Sporting Club and Ekhaya FC have redefined what a debut season can look like in the TNM Super League. Finishing sixth in 2024 and seventh in 2025 respectively, both clubs qualified for the Airtel Top 8 Cup and demonstrated that planning, recruitment, and technical stability can narrow the gap between newcomers and established sides. Their success highlights a growing competitiveness in Malawi’s top-flight football and offers a blueprint for future promoted teams.