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Fam Fails to show up for a meeting over Flames coach

Jana: Pressure is on them
Jana: Pressure is on them

The Malawi National Council of Sports was kept waiting in vain for FAM to show up for a meeting to discuss the position of Flames coach earlier this week.

The meeting was meant to discuss Football Association of Malawi’s (FAM) recent decision to shelve their plans to advertise the Flames job on the basis that they wanted to consult Sports Council and government.

Sports Council executive secretary George Jana expressed surprise with FAM’s failure to show up for the meeting.

“We waited for them earlier this week, but they did not pitch and I hear they [senior officials] have travelled to Lesotho. So, maybe we’ll meet them when they return.

“Apparently pressure is on them because they are talking of having a coach as soon as possible,” said Jana.

Had other equally important issues to attend to: Nyirenda
Had other equally important issues to attend to: Nyirenda

Asked exactly what they are going to discuss, Jana said: “I cannot pre-empt, first they will have to explain what they want the coach to be doing and the calibre of the coach will depend on the basis of their presentation.

“The basis on whether to engage an expatriate or local coach will depend on the strength of their argument, but as at now we do not know whether they want an expatriate or a local coach,” said Jana.

FAM chief executive officer Suzgo Nyirenda said they could not meet Sports Council because they had other equally important issues to attend to, but added that they will arrange for another meeting as soon as they [and FAM president Walter Nyamilandu] return from Lesotho where they are attending a Cosafa annual general meeting.

He said the association is also yet to get a feedback from its technical subcommittee on whether to hire an expatriate or a local coach.

“The technical subcommittee is still consulting, but the calibre of coach will be determined by the progress of the discussions that we’ll have with Sports Council and government because as we said earlier on, they are the ones who provide the perks.

“For now, our plan remains that we should advertise the job and then three or four applicants will be short-listed for interviews that will be carried out with the help of a Fifa tactician.

“But we are still desperate and would like to have a coach as quickly as possible so that he can start preparing for the 2015 Afcon qualifiers and the Cosafa Cup,” said Nyirenda.

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