Coaches propose ways of marketing players to Europe

For the first time, Football Association Malawi (FAM) technical sub-committee last Friday met all national team coaches to review last year’s performance and plan the way forward.

FAM technical sub-committee head Moses Mkandawire, who is also the association’s first vice-president, Flames coach Young Chimodzi and his Under-20 counterpart Ernest Mtawali, described the meeting as fruitful and an eye-opener.

“It was the first time we held a meeting jointly with all the national teams’ coaches—senior team, Under-20 and Under-17,” said Mkandawire.

He said they discussed issues that included identifying a clear philosophy of Malawian football that should start at junior level right up to the senior team.

“Like in Brazil, they have samba, in Spain they have tika-taka, so it was proposed that the coaches and the technical director [John Kaputa] should brainstorm and come up with our own type of football that we should be identified with,” said Mkandawire.

He also said the meeting noted with concern that Malawian players’ market is now only in Mozambique, where a number of key and promising players are flocking to. He described the development as retrogressive.

“A special committee comprising FAM GS [SuzgoNyirenda], Mtawali, Flames assistant coach Jack Chamangwana and the TD was set up to look into that.

“Since the time he was in France, Ernest has been involved in facilitating trials for players in Europe and South Africa such as Gift Zakazaka, the late Jonathan Lungu, Robin Ngalande, Chance Gondwe, Peter Mgangira and some current Under-20 players. We felt he could use his links in Europe to do that, so too Jack in South Africa,” added Mkandawire.

According to him, the meeting also recommended the need to closely monitor the performance of foreign-based players to widen choice when selecting national team players.

A suggestion was also made to keep the national junior teams active even in the absence of tournaments.

“We are currently going through turbulent economic challenges and it might not be possible to enter all competitions, but then we can come up with cost-effective measures such as arranging friendly matches and mini-tournaments with neighbouring countries. By so doing, there will be sound transition,” said Mkandawire.

However, he said for all these proposals to be achieved, there will be need for support from all soccer-loving Malawians and, crucially, the private sector.

On the performance of the national teams, Mkandawire said all the teams’ weaknesses and strengths were raised and the coaches were open to criticism and suggestions were made on how they can improve on the weaknesses and build on the strengths.

Chimodzi and Mtawali said their hope is that they will have more such meetings in future.

“If we can be having such meetings regularly, then surely I can foresee our football making strides. The challenge, though, is to start implementing whatever was agreed,” said Chimodzi.

Others who attended the meeting were Kaputa, Under-20 assistant coach Gerald Phiri, Under-17 coach DeklerkMsakakuona and his assistant Elia Kananji.