Lilongwe-based giants Silver Strikers will go into football books as the first and last team to win the FDH Bank Cup. The cup has come to an end after five seasons following a decision by sponsors FDH Bank plc to takeover the topflight league sponsorship. Silver Strikers board chairperson George Kaudza Masina said they are happy that the Central Bankers will go down in history as the first and last team to win the cup.
“We are excited to be the first and last winners of the cup, which will be safely kept in our mantelpiece forever,” he said. Silver were the inaugural winners in 2021 when they beat Ekwendeni Hammers, now Mzuzu City Hammers, 2-0 in the final. Then Bullets won it consecutively in 2022 and 2023.
The People’s Team beat their reserves 3-1 in 2022, before securing a 3-0 victory over Mafco FC in 2023. Blue Eagles are the other winners as they beat Bullets 3-2 on post-match penalties in 2024. The Bankers then won the 2025 FDH Bank Cup in November after defeating Mighty Wanderers 5-4 on post-match penalties after regulation time ended one-all.
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On Wednesday, the home-grown bank announced that they will now sponsor the topflight league rebranded to FDH Bank Premiership, to the tune of K5 billion for the next five seasons. Speaking on the side-lines of the elite league sponsorship unveiling at Sunbird Mount Soche in Blantyre, FDH Bank Plc managing director Noel Mkulichi in an interview said they have shelved the cup competition to focus on the country’s elite football league. He said: “We will do away with the FDH Bank Football Cup.
Other sports sponsorships, including the Flames and the FDH Bank Netball Premiership, will remain intact.” Kaudza Masina said scrapping off the cup competition will reduce fixtures congestion. “This means the number of games per season has been reduced. This is a big relief on fixture congestion,” he said.
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