Immediate-past Malawi Queens coach Joana Kachilika has turned down her redeployment to take charge of the World Youth Cup-bound Malawi Under-21 National Netball Team.
She has also taken legal action against Netball Association of Malawi’s (NAM) decision to remove her as senior team coach through her lawyer.
NAM general secretary Yamikani Kauma confirmed in an interview that they are currently hunting for Kachilika’s replacement.
She said: “As earlier stated, all the others accepted their appointments in the revised national teams’ coaching panels except Joana.
“We tried to engage her, but we appeared not to be making progress and she is now challenging her redeployment through lawyers, So, I do not think we’ll make any headway.”
Kauma said they have since referred Kachilika’s issue to their lawyers.
She said with time running out ahead of the World Youth Cup scheduled for Gibraltar in March next year, they have been left with no choice but to look for another coach.
“We want the team to go into camp this month alongside the Under-19 team that will be preparing for the Region 5 Youth Games because after this month, it will be difficult to assemble the team as the girls will be required to be back in school,” said Kauma.
However, the NAM GS, president Vitumbiko Gubuduza and Kachilika could not be drawn to give more details.
Kachilika said: “I have been advised not to comment at this stage.”
In November, NAM announced the termination of Kachilika and her backroom staff’s contracts and demoted her to lead the Under-21 side. Instead, NAM took back on board Queens’ legends Mary Waya and Peace Chawinga-Kaluwa as co-coaches.
But Kachilika claimed then that NAM did not consult her about the then impending changes.
In its press statement on the changes, NAM said: “Upon completion of the process of review for the national team technical panels, all technical contracts, the technical qualifications, technical experience, the performance of the teams and in consideration for the need to ensure the national teams are poised to perform with the best and at the best level of fitness and performance, NAM has made changes to the coaching panels of the national teams effective 19th November 2024.”
The statement further said Kachilika would be in charge of the Under-21 team until September 30 2026.
Defending the appointment of Waya and Chawinga-Kaluwa, NAM said: “NAM believes that being the highest qualified coaches in Malawi, their experience in coaching and development of players, and having performed as players, the two are best suited to steer the senior national Queens and oversee the development of the Under-21 and Under-19 teams as we rebuild the teams.”
Kachilika was hired on a two-year deal by the previous NAM executive committee.
