FAM to revoke idle coaches’licences

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) will from next season start revoking licences of coaches that have not been active for the past two years.

The associations feels it has been wasting resources training some coaches who never practise their trade despite acquiring highest qualifications from Confederation of Africa Football (CAF).

The association’s database has 198 coaches who have CAF A, B and C badges, but the number is superficial since in the absence of a monitoring system most of them are not active.

The association says it will now introduce an online logging system for coaches and those that are not active for two years will have their licences revoked.

Out the 198 coaches, 50 have CAF A while 25 have CAF C licences. The other 114 coaches have CAF C licences.

The association currently, sets minimum qualification for head coach for TNM Super League clubs at CAF B and CAF C for assistant coaches.

However, out of 50 CAF A coaches in the country only six are with TNM Super League clubs, namely Chitipa United’s McDonald Mtetemera, Red Lions’ Franco Ndawa, Dedza Dynamos’ Gilbert Chirwa, Ekwendeni Hammers’ Elias Chirambo, Karonga United’s Trevor Kajawa and Kamuzu Barracks’ Alick Chirwa.

Four other CAF A holders, John Maduka, Ernest Mtawali, Nsazurwino Ramadan, Charles Manda and Meck Mwase are expatriates while Patrick Mabedi and DeKrek Msakakuona and Aubrey Nakhuni are with the Flames while the only Malawian female coach with CAF A licence Maggie Chombo Sadik is coaching FCB Nyasa Bullets Women’s football team.

Out of 25 CAF B coaches, only five are with Super League clubs namely, Civil Service United’s Oscar Kaunda, Blue Eagles’ Elia Kananji, Mafco’s Prichard Mwansa, Mighty Walawaka Tigers’ Christopher Nyambose and Extreme FC’s Andrew Bunya.

Mighty Mukuru Wanderers have British Mark Harrison and while Silver have Dutch coach Pieter de Jongh. Both have Uefa A licences. FCB Nyasa Bullets’ Zimbabwean tactician Kallisto Pasuwa has CAF A badge.

The association’s compliance manager Casper Jangale said the statistics are an indicator that despite the country having over 100 qualified coaches, many of them are not active.

Jangale said: “When you look at the database, you might think we have enough qualified coaches for the TNM Super League.

“But when you go on the ground, the reality is that we don’t. The question is where are the coaches who have CAF A and B licences?

Jangale said in order sort out the mess, the association will take off names of coaches who are not active.

“FAM spent a lot of resources to train these coaches in order to develop football at elite level. That’s why we put the minimum qualification to CAF A for head coaches. But these coaches end up doing other things. May be we are training the wrong people.”

“So, we shouldn’t have a fallacy that we have 50 CAF A coaches when they are not even coaching. We will only recognise only coaches who have been active for a certain period.”

Jangale said an online logging system will keep track of all qualified coaches’ activities.

“This will help us to keep track of those that are active. Those that are not active, will be struck off the list,” he said.

“They will only be re-added on the list after they fulfilled the requirement of being active for a certain period.”

Other countries already introduced revalidation of coaching licences. For example European countries which fall under Uefa have to revalidate their coaching licences every three years.

“In order to maintain your Uefa diploma, you are required to complete continuous personal development every three years. This will validate your diploma for the next three yearly cycle.

“If your diploma has expired then you may reactivate it by completing the required 15 hours of continuous personal development,” reads a statement on Uefa website on licences renewal.

Jangale said they already have commenced discussions wi th Nat ional Footbal l Coaches Association (NFCA) on the matter.

N F C A c h a i r p e r s o n Nankhuni said they welcomed the move, saying it will ensure that only those that have the passion will remain.

He said: “The challenge is that not everyone who is a qualified coach has passion for the profession. Most of them only got the qualifications by chance.

“So we agreed with FAM on the need to introduce the revoking of licences of inactive coaches.

“We will table this issue at our annual general meeting before the end of the year, so that by next season this should be implemented.”

Nankhuni said as part of the implementation of the proposal, only coaches that are attached to clubs are undergoing coaching courses.

“In the past, every Jim and Jack could undergo a coaching course. But now you need to be attached to a club for you to be considered.”

“Actually, you undergo practical lessons at your club as part of the coaching course. So, if you are not attached, how are you going to do the practical?”

Asked if this will be fair to coaches considering the scarcity of coaching jobs, Nankhuni said coaches should not only aim at getting employed.

“ The problem is that everyone wants to coach a TNM Super League club.

“You can do voluntary work in schools or any team. What we want is someone to be active. That’s all.”