FAM to go by ministry’s directive on coach
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) says it has no choice but to abide by the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ directive to set funding conditions for hiring Flames coach.
The ministry told our sister newspaper the Weekend Nation on Saturday that it is ready to fund the next Malawi National Football Team coach’s remuneration provided it should fall under government salary and benefits’ structures.

According to the 2024 Malawi Civil Service Salary Structure. Grade A, which is the highest paid position in the public service, attracts about K44.8 million per annum, translating to about K3.7 million per month.
In a written response to a questionnaire on the way forward following the ministry’s stand, FAM president Fleetwood Haiya said: “We will oblige to what the owners of the national teams guide us to do. We are just agents and government is a principal.”
However, he could not be drawn to comment on how the decision will affect their plans.
But Haiya said the decision will not delay their plans to hire a coach, but rather “speed up the process”.
On Friday, the ministry’s spokesperson Macmillan Mwase said during Thursday’s meeting, it was formally agreed that FAM will be signing the contract with the coach while the ministry will only be providing funds through annual grants.
“On the perks, the ministry’s position is that if the agreement between the coach and FAM is say K10 million as monthly salary, we will only be providing funds in line with government salary structure and it will be up o FAM to source the bulk of the figure. We cannot provide more than what is provided for in the salary structure,” he said.
However, football analyst and former FAM general secretary Charles Nyirenda faulted the ministry’s stand, saying: “There are some government subsidiaries such as the Reserve Bank of Malawi that pay on average better wages than a typical public servant, including the Secretary to the President and Cabinet.
“As we go along, it will be important for government to find a way of resolving this matter because good coaches are not cheap.”
The Flames’ next assignment will be against Namibia in March in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.
The position of Flames coach fell vacant after the termination of Patrick Mabedi’s contract following the Malawi’s poor run in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers which saw them losing five consecutive matches.
He was replaced by immediate-past FCB Nyasa Bullets coach Kallisto Pasuwa in an interim capacity.
Under his tutelege, Malawi bagged four points in their last two matches after holding Burundi to a goalless draw before thumping Burkin Faso 3-0 at home.
The Zimbabwean tactician’s assistants are Bullets current coach Peter ‘Mjojo’ Mponda and his Moyale Barracks counterpart Pritchard Mwansa