FAM, Fifa cost clubs thousands of kwacha
The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) and its parent body Fifa have drawn the wrath of three women football clubs in the country because of postponing finals of the Under-20 Women Fifa/FAM Cup this weekend, a development which has resulted in the clubs wasting thousands of kwacha.
FAM has acknowledged the inconvenience caused, but admitted that they are yet to get money from Fifa.
“It is true the finals have been deferred again and that is simply because Fifa is yet to give us the money. Once that is done, the finals will go ahead. I cannot go into details as what has caused the delay,” said FAM competitions officer Gomezgani Zakazaka.
The finals were supposed to take place last month, but were shifted to this weekend, but FAM has yet again postponed them to a date yet to be announced.
The cup is sponsored to the tune of K11 million. Winners at national level get K1 million, runners-up K750 000 whereas K500 000 goes to the third-best team.
Moyale Sisters and DD Sunshine, who have reached the regional finals had no kind words for FAM and Fifa.
“We have spent over K200 000 in camp for the past four weeks as we prepared for the finals only to be told at the last hour that the finals have been deferred. We had hired Catering Solutions Limited to provide food for our girls to maintain a good diet,” said a disappointed Moyale Sisters coach Vick Chimboka in a telephone interview from Mzuzu.
He said now they have released the players, most of whom are attending boarding schools far from Mzuzu.
“That means we will have to spend again to bring them back and hold another camp when a new date is announced. We might spend over K500 000 just to take part in these finals. It is unfair as we do not have income generating activities,” said Chimboka.
DD Sunshine owner and patron David Dube, who is also Fifa executive member, said the postponement of the finals has shown that football administrators know very little about clubs operation in Malawi.
“It is disappointing, especially coming from FAM. They should have found an alternative [source of money] knowing that they will get it from Fifa. We are small clubs with no financial dependency. Already, we have spent K270 000 on camp. For us that is huge money,” said Dube.
National Women Football Committee (NWFC) president Severia Chalira said the development is also a setback to her committee.
“We also have spent a lot, but we hope FAM will refund the expenses. It has been a setback in that we have failed to finish in time. Most of the girls who participated in the tournament are school going children. We have failed to harmonise our calendar, which has triggered a lot of problems for the teams. We pray that the money comes in time,” said Chalira.
