Coaches body in tight spot

FAM has said the National Football Coaches Association (NFCA) cannot enforce the K750 000 minimum wage benchmark for Super League coaches because it is not legally binding.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) general secretary Alfred Gunda said this in reaction to the coaches’ body’s intention to seek the local football governing body’s intervention on the matter.

NFCA general secretary Davie Mpima said  in an interview yesterday that half of the 16 top-flight league teams are not complying with the set minimum wage.

The coaches’ body set K750 000 as minimum monthly salary for CAF A and CAF B licensed coaches and K500 000 for those with CAF C badges.

Mpima said only FCB Nyasa Bullets, Mighty Mukuru Wanderers, Silver Strikers, Creck Sporting Club, Civil Service United  and military outfits Kamuzu Barracks, Moyale Barracks and Mafco FC meet the set requirement while Mzuzu City Hammers, Mighty Tigers, Chitipa United, PremierBet  Dedza Dynamos, Karonga United, Baka City FC, Fomo FC and Bangwe All Stars have not complied.

“We tried to negotiate with the clubs to comply, but half of the teams   have not done so and we have now resolved to seek FAM’s intervention,” he said.

“Our proposal is that FAM should be giving licences only to clubs that commit to pay the minimum salary at the start of the season.”

But while hailing the coaches association’s proposal as a good idea, Gunda yesterday said they will be seen to be in conflict with the country’s laws if they enforce the proposal without a binding legal agreement involving all  stakeholders.

He said considering the  that  government set K90 000 as a minimum monthly wage for employees with effect from February 1 this year, it is not easy to impose a wage above that figure.

Said Gunda: “There are so many things that need to be looked into on how to benchmark the coaches’ minimum wage.

“First, we should avoid being in conflict with the law by ensuring the proposal is legally binding.”

Football analyst Parry Chinyama concurred with Gunda, saying although NFCA has a point in setting the minimum wage, the arrangement has its challenges.

“Teams in Malawi are faced with economic challenges as sponsors are not putting enough in the basket. But what is detrimental is that the NFCA is just an association with no legal mandate to effectively enforce the minimum wage,” he said.

Two of the clubs that are not meeting the set minimum salary benchmark, Baka City FC of Karonga and Mulanje-based Fomo FC, said they are not financially strong enough to meet the set requirement any time soon.

Said Baka City FC chairperson Bentley Jembe:  “As a community team that has no sponsor and is financed from individuals’ pockets, it is difficult to offer our coaches that much [K750 000] as a salary. If we find a sponsor, we might consider that.”

On his part, Fomo FC general secretary Jimmy Maloya said: “Football is too expensive to run in Malawi and we cannot afford that. It could be closer to that had we received our Super League subvention in full at the start of the season.”