Mmera Mpoyamba Under-16 and Nthanda Under-14 youth football leagues’ teams have expressed worry over Football Association of Malawi’s (FAM) delays to disburse prizes and set dates for the new season kick off.
The development is a worrisome as the youth leagues are the breeding ground for future talent.
The 2024 season concluded in January this year, but five months down the line, they say they are yet to receive their prizes.
Their new season, according to FAM’s calendar, was expected to kick off last month, but up to now it is still unclear on when the games will roll into action.
FAM bankrolls the annual leagues at K50 million each with financial support from the world football governing body Fifa.
“We are just keeping fingers crossed that something will happen and we will get the prizes,” said Soche Madrid manager Isaac Zimba, whose team won the Blantyre District’s 2024 Mmera Mpoyamba Under-16 league.
“As at now, we are also in the dark on the dates for the new season, but we are still preparing for the new season.”
Ntopwa FC owner Isaac Jomo Osman, whose under-16 team finished as runners-up in Blantyre, also expressed worry over the delays.
FAM launched the Under-14 and Under-16 leagues in 2022 with the aim of developing the game at grassroots level. The leagues, which are spread in various districts across the country, are meant to provide a pathway for youth football players to nurture their talents.
One of the district youth football committee officials, who asked for anonymity, told Weekend Nation that FAM only disbursed about K2 million for referees in the 2024 season.
“Nevertheless, we are yet to get funding for administration, printing match forms, lime for marking pitches and communication. To say the truth, we currently do not know the next step to take to move forward,” he said.
By press time yesterday, FAM general secretary Alfred Gunda had not responded to our questionnaire sent on Thursday.
Football analyst Parry Chinyama described the development as detrimental to the development of youth leagues.
“FAM should be in the forefront in ensuring that football is well administered. How do we transform football when our junior leagues are not functional?” he wondered.
