RVG pleads for support

Play a passing game, keep possession, create chances and only play kickand-rush as the last option— summarises Belgian Ronny van Geneugden’s football philosophy which he hopes to leave behind when his mission in Malawi is accomplished.

Speaking yesterday during a press briefing at Football Association of Malawi (FAM) offices in Chiwembe, Blantyre, the coach said that this will not be a stroll in the park and pleaded for support from local coaches, Super League clubs, youth league clubs and the media.

Geneugden said:“When you build a house you start with the foundation. It is the same with football. You start with the foundation if you want to build a strong team. It is time for Malawi football to grow starting with the fundamentals. When the FAM president asked me to work with young players, I accepted.

“It is a challenge for me, but we are going to build together. Where there is a will, there is a way. When you try to reach the moon, even if you miss, you are going to reach to the stars. That’s very important. We must have a style that fans, especially the media, can identify with. A style which without looking to the scoreboard, supporters can say ‘we saw a game from a team that we like seeing them play that sort of football’.”

The coach, however, said while the football philosophy that will stretch from lower league teams to the senior national team is a long-term plan, he is also aware of the need for Flames’ quick results.

“In football, there is only one coach that can coach a team with his eyes on the scoreboard during a match the national team coach. The other coaches have to look at the game and performance as they aim at producing players that can be pushed to the senior team.

“When I finish my job in Malawi after two years, may be after four years, may be not so long, I want to leave the country so that you can say there is a stamp left by me. Results in the senior team are a number one priority, but also youth development is a priority. Before the press briefing, there were young boys playing football on the pitch and that is the nicest thing because they don’t care about results. They play football with a smile and it is beautiful as a person, or as a father, to see the children smiling.”

On his lack of experience as a national coach, Geneugden said he was familiar with such statements.

He said: “Back in Belgium, a country that is number one or number two on Fifa ranking, yet it is coached by someone who was never before a national team coach!

“I will tell you this; when you have a 17-year-old talented player and you want to feature him, positive people will say you must give him a chance because he needs experience to grow. But negative people will say you cannot put him in the team because he does not have the experience. But when can you have experience?” The coach also dismissed that he has little knowledge of African football.

“When I was 29-years-old that was the first time African players came to Belgium. Very talented players, but they needed tactical discipline in the game and off the pitch. After a few months, they became stars and moved to play in other top leagues. That is what I want to impart in Malawian players.

“My uncle settled in Africa after finishing his university studies. He lived in Africa for 20 years before he died here. Every time he came home, he always talked about Africa. So I grew up hearing stories about Africa. It was my goal that one day I should work in Africa. Now, this is my opportunity.”

FAM president Walter Nyamilandu said the association was confident that Geneugden, who has signed a two-year contract, will deliver.

“We were looking for an affordable coach as we always said from the onset. I can promise you that to get Ronny is a bargain for Malawi. We have confidentiality in the contract, so I will not be able to diverge the perks. But you will see our financial statements on how much we will spend on him. The auditors will come and the figures will be available at the end of the year,” said Nyamilandu.

He added: “We never advertised for the job because experience has shown that in the football industry we head hunt or go for shopping. We searched high and low and shortlisted three or four candidates. We discussed as an executive committee and the technical director and narrowed down to one candidate. In the past, we have done interviews, but we have achieved nothing. We paraded the coaches and spent money on them. They came and spoke the [football] lingua franca but delivered no results.” Nyamilandu said the coach has been given short-term and long-term targets.

“The contract has key performance indicators and expectations. We are playing in Chan [Championship of African Nations] and we want to do well. In Africa Cup of Nations we are competing against Cameroon who are Africa champions. We are playing against Morocco, a team that has a coach who has won Afcon championship twice. We need to be prepared. So, there are issues that have to be attended pertaining to development, style of play and performance,” he said.

FAM partners FDH and Fifa will be responsible for the coach’s perks.