Haiya unveils changes
Newly elected Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Fleetwood Haiya says from next season the football governing body will forfeit its 10 percent revenue cut from gate revenue which will be shared by clubs.
In his manifesto which he launched ahead of the FAm elections held on December 16, Haiya also promised to revisit the FAM share of gate takings which observers argued reduces clubs’ earnings.
During a press conference at Mpira Village in Chiwembe Township, Blantyre on Tuesday, he also announced that he will not be getting his $25 000 (about K42.5 million) annual honorarium from Fifa and will insteadchannel it towards football development activities.
The former Super League of Malawi (Sulom) president said he has done this to demonstrate that he is not in football for personal gains, but to uplift the standards of Malawi football.
“As a servant leader, I am committed to football development in the country and I want the teams and the players to benefit more from the game,” said Haiya.
He said FAM is currently in the process of coming up with a strategic plan which will be ready within the next 90 days.
“I will first familiarise myself with the existing FAM projects to see if they are in line with our vision of transforming the game before incorporating them into the strategic plan,” Haiya said.
Meanwhile, Fifa has allocated $8 million (about K13 billion) for Malawi football operations and projects under the Fifa Forward 3 Programme between 2023 and 2026. The project rolled out in 2023
Out of that, $5 million is meant for FAM operations for four years, translating to $1.250 million (about K2.1 billion) annually. The other $3 million is for projects such as infrastructure, competitions, capacity building and teams’ subvention.
The Flames have been allocated $250 000 (about K425 million) annually for international travelling costs while $200 000 (about K340 million) is meant for football equipment for four years.
Said Haiya: “We have also been allocated $169 000 [about K287.3 million] for national teams’ support, especially to cover the deficit created as a result of delay of government funding.
“As you know, we are yet to get at least K514 million from the government for the recent Flames’ and Scorchers engagements.
“This means the Flames and Scorchers players will soon get their dues which they are owed.”
Bangwe All Stars owner Mphatso Jika and Karonga United general secretary Ramzy Simwaka on Tuesday hailed Haiya for the gesture, saying they go through a lot of financial challenges to sustain their clubs.
Said Jika: “For instance, our recent match against Silver Strikers grossed over K3.6 million, but we got K440 000 each while security got over K500 000. This was frustrating because we did not benefit a lot from our sweat. Haiya’s latest decision to increase teams’ share to 60 percent is, the way to go.”
