Mozambican football is bracing for a serious shake-up. The head of the Mozambican Football Federation (FMF) issued a stern warning this Thursday. He said some clubs in the country’s top league are not following the rules. These teams could be kicked out. This would completely change the league standings.
Feizal Sidat, the FMF president, spoke during a press conference about the first half of 2025. He explained that some clubs in the Moçambola league are not meeting their licensing rules. “We’ve already sent notices to these clubs,” Sidat stated. “The FMF and its licensing department might take away their licenses.” He admitted this could “unfortunately mess with the standings.”
All 14 clubs started the Moçambola season with the right licenses. But as the competition went on, problems began. These issues include late salaries for players, bad management, and poor stadium conditions.
Sidat stressed that the federation does not want to penalize clubs. However, he said the time to act is now. Clubs have had plenty of warnings. “Sometimes we have to be strict to get attention,” he explained. “A club’s most important asset is its players. Players cannot go five or six months without getting paid.” He pointed to examples like Boavista in Portugal or Lyon in France, where major clubs faced penalties in their top leagues.
The same strictness will apply to Mozambique’s second division. “Even if a team is a provincial champion from Gaza, Maputo, or Cabo Delgado,” Sidat said, “if it’s not licensed, it can’t play in this competition.” He made it clear that “in 2025, there are no exceptions.” These are rules from FIFA and the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The FMF, as the body in charge of Mozambican football, must make sure they are followed.
Feizal Sidat also expressed frustration about the delayed start of the 2025 Moçambola season. It was supposed to begin in March but only kicked off in May. This delay happened because of logistical problems, especially with arranging flights for teams.
A big issue involves club debts. Teams in the league owe 100 million meticais (about 1.3 million euros) to Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM), the airline. This debt caused LAM to stop selling tickets. More than two weeks ago, the Mozambican Football League (LMF) canceled games for the sixth round. The league will now restart gradually this Saturday.
“We were surprised by the Moçambola stopping,” Sidat criticized. “It’s worrying, it stains the competition itself.” He demanded solutions from the LMF. “We can’t play games with football,” he declared. “The competition must start and finish.”
