Football Players Association (FPA) says it is disappointed with Football Association of Malawi’s (FAM’s) failure to enforce the government minimum wage for players in the top-flight league.
FPA general secretary Ernest Mangani said Football Players Association (FPA) said they have received complaints from some of its members on the issue.
Currently, the government minimum wage is at K157 000, but Mangani said some teams such as Chitipa United, Karonga United and Goshen City Dedza Dynamos pay their players way below K100 000.
Mangani said according to their findings, at least 50 percent of players in the elite league get less than the minimum wage.
He said it is worrying that to date most teams are failing to meet their obligations, especially on players’ welfare.
Said Mangani: “Players’ welfare is one of the club licensing requirements and I wonder how they are granted licenses by FAM.
“We have received such complaints from players. In fact, some players do not have clear contracts with the teams. We have been raising all these issues with FAM, but nothing has been done.”
He also said they are working on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with football bodies to put K500 000 as minimum salary for elite league players.
Mangani said such poor working conditions could have a negative impact on the players’ performance on the pitch.
FAM resolved to enforce government minimum wage six years ago.
Some Chitipa United and Karonga United players confided in Weekend Nation that apart from getting far below the minimum wage, they go for months without getting paid.
“We continue to play just for the sake of growth and exposure, otherwise what we get leaves a lot to be desired. It is not enough to support our families and it is not motivating,” said a Karonga United player.
Another player who turns out for Chitipa United, said: “We just hear that FAM set government minimum wage for top-flight league clubs, but most of us here do not have fixed salaries maybe because it is a community team. Sometimes they pay us K50 000 sometimes K80 000 and so on,” he said.
In an interview, Chitipa United chairperson Mika Yobe said players are paid based on the status of the team’s coffers.
He said: “It depends on what is available. You pay what you have, you cannot pay what you don’t have. Our team does not have sound sponsorship and we operate on a minimal budget.
“Gate collections and subventions cannot meet the expectations of every player at the moment. As a country, we are not yet at the level where clubs can meet set standards. In other countries, it is policy that teams must have sponsors to cover player payments. For now, we provide what is available, in line with our income.”
On his part, Karonga United general secretary (GS) Ramzy Simwaka said the club is also operating without sponsorship and pays players based on available funds.
*”We provide what is available. We cannot force matters if the available funds do not meet the expected budget. Where our financial flow is limited, we do with what we have,” he said.
Dedza Dynamos GS Mabvuto Mugode said the club’s current financial realities make it extremely difficult to implement minimum salary standards.
He said: “Some clubs are struggling to meet existing salary obligations. As Dedza Dynamos, we support better conditions for players, but any salary reforms must be practical, sustainable and implemented in a way that protects both the players and the long-term survival of our clubs,”* he said.
Asked why they are failing to enforce the government minimum wage on clubs, FAM competitions and licensing manager Clement Kafwafwa said FAM remains committed to safeguarding the welfare and rights of players and that the association can only enforce compliance where there is sufficient evidence or formal complaints demonstrating non-compliance by clubs on the minimum wage.
He said: “We act based on clear evidence. In recent years, FAM has continued to strengthen the Club Licensing System and engage relevant stakeholders, including the FPA to promote improved employment standards within football.
“Players who feel aggrieved are encouraged to utilise the available dispute resolution and reporting mechanisms so that appropriate remedial or disciplinary measures can be taken.”
Lately, Malawian footballers have been trekking to Zimbabwe in search of better perks, including salaries paid in US dollars and more attractive signing-on fees.
In an earlier interview, one of the players Vincent Nyangulu, who had a stint with Zimbabwean Premiership side, FC Platinum, said he got K27 million as signing-on fee and monthly salary of K6 million payments which was much higher than what he was getting locally.
“Football is a short career; we opt for Zimbabwe clubs because they are offering good perks. On the local scene, my salary has never exceeded K500 000,” he said.
