Malawi National Football Team coach Kallisto Pasuwa has reshuffled the Flames technical panel by removing assistant coaches Peter Mponda and Peter Mgangira three months after their clubs refused to release them for the Four Nations Tournament in Botswana.
The duo, who were part of Pasuwa’s technical panel since his appointment in October 2024, have not featured in the Flames set-up since March.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) operations director Gomezgani Zakazaka in an interview yesterday confirmed that Silver coach Mgangira and Masters FC mentor Mponda, who were engaged following Pasuwa’s request, were no longer in the technical panel set up.
He said: “Mponda and Mgangira were engaged on an assignment basis, hence their presence depends on the coach demanding their services.
“As far as we are concerned, the coach has not requested for their services. So we follow his lead on the matter.”
Kondowe. | courtesy of FAM
Zakazaka said Pasuwa has now settled for assistant coach Pritchard Mwanza, fitness trainer Fischer Kondowe and strikers’ trainer Russell Mwafulirwa.
“These are the backroom staff members that the coach submitted for the past assignments,” he said.
Silver Strikers chief executive officer Patrick Chimimba confirmed that the club had not received any fresh request from FAM to release Mgangira.
“The engagement of our head coach was assignment-specific. Each call-up was treated as a once-off encounter.
“FAM did not request his availability this time around and, as a club, we accept that,” he said.
But Masters FC chief executive officer Kevin Moyo said the club still does not want Mponda to be in the national team technical panel.
“As a club, we are not comfortable with our coach being engaged with the national team due to the fact that we are a new team, trying to cement our place in the elite league,” he said.
Meanwhile, National Football Coaches Association chairperson Aubrey Nankhuni in an interview said they would have loved FAM to employ assistant coaches on long-tern contracts and not attached to clubs so that they can understudy Pasuwa.
However, football analyst Twaha Chimuka said Mgangira and Mponda may not have been Pasuwa’s preference.
“He said: “Well, from the word go, it was evident that this relationship wasn’t going to go far. If you look at it closely, you can tell that things were not working. If you look at Pasuwa’s style of coaching and how everything has been unfolding, I don’t think it was going to help us.”
Pasuwa was not available for comment as the Flames were on their way back to Malawi after their trip to Ethiopia where they played two international friendly matches against the hosts.
Malawi 1ost 1-0 in the first match and drew 1-1 in the second match.
The Flames are preparing for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers which will kick off in October
