Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Fleetwood Haiya has said former FCB Nyasa Bullets coach Kallisto Pasuwa has accepted an offer to become Flames substantive coach.
He said this during an interactive session with football followers on Facebook on Thursday night.
As reported by our sister newspaper The Nation on Monday, the FAM boss also confirmed that the Zimbabwean tactician has been offered a two-year deal.
“We have agreed, but we haven’t signed [the deal yet]. We have put an intent,” he said.
“We are finalising issues of perks. We do not want to rush things because there have been incidences where contractual issues with coaches have landed us in trouble.”
Haiya also said they want their lawyers and government to look at the contracts first.
He also said the coach has chosen his own backroom staff, but at its executive committee meeting held last Saturday, the FAM executive committee resolved that the rest of Flames’ interim technical backroom staff, which among others, included first assistant coach Peter ‘Mjojo’ Mponda, second assistant coach Pritchard Mwansa and physical trainer Peter Mgangira, should be maintained.
“I cannot mention the names because we first have to contact their clubs,” said Haiya.
The FAM president also said he was not amused that newspapers went ahead to write about Pasuwa’s confirmation and details without waiting for official communication from FAM.
“It is all because anthu ena amafuna aziwoneka maduli [some people want to look clever], but it was unfortunate because we wanted the announcement to be done during the official unveiling,” he said.
Pasuwa further said their target is that the Flames should qualify for 2027 Africa Cup of Nations “and thereafter, we want to be qualifying for every edition”.
Meanwhile, The Herald newspaper of Zimbabwe on Thursday reported that FAM is making frantic efforts to tie Pasuwato an agreement as the former Dynamos FC and Zimbabwe National Football Team coach is also on the radar of a number of clubs in Sudan, Kenya and Tanzania.
He had been named interim Flames coach before the Football Association of Malawi resolved to make him permanent following his departure from Nyasa Big Bullets.
It further reports that the lead negotiator in Pasuwa’s management team, Dee Shorai Muchineripi are still hopeful of signing an agreement with FAM this week.
Pasuwa is understood to be keen to get the ball running in terms of preparing for the resumption of Malawi’s 2026 World Cup qualification in March.
Said Muchineripi: “Negotiations are in progress, and we hope that during this week an agreement would have been struck.
“As it stands, Kalisto remains an interim coach while the FAM executive is in talks with us for a substantive basis.
“Once the niggling items are cleared with Malawi FA president and his executive committee, then we will sign.
“We will then let the people of Malawi and the football fraternity at large know, but I am sure the finalisation will be done this week.
Pasuwa’s first assignment will be a 2026 World Cup home qualifying tie against Namibia.
In the same month, the Flames will travel for a much tougher assignment away against Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles. The Flames will conclude their Group H March assignments with a date against Equatorial Guinea.
