Fifa to sponsor girls schools’ tourney

Fifa will  from next month  sponsor a girls football tournament in secondary schools in Blantyre as part of its youth development programmes.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) vice-president James Mwenda and technical director John Kaputa confirmed the development in separate interviews yesterday.

However, Mwenda could not be drawn to disclose the actual sponsorship package, only describing it as significant.

“I can confirm that Fifa has agreed to sponsor girls football in secondary schools. As a pilot project we will start with 12 schools around Blantyre. Then we will roll out two additional leagues in the cities of  Lilongwe and Mzuzu,” said Kaputa.

He said apart from funding for the tournament,  Fifa will also provide equipment such as balls, boots and uniforms.

“Currently, we are working with district education manager for Blantyre as we select teams that will be part of the league. We are also working on logistics as to how the tournament will be administered. The league will run for six to eight months because teams will be playing on home and away basis,” said Kaputa.

Mwenda, who is also FAM technical subcommittee chair, said Fifa has already made a commitment towards the sponsorship.

“We are grateful to Fifa because of this youth programme. We believe for women football to develop there is need for active leagues in our schools. The leagues will act as a nursery for the national team,” said Mwenda. n