FIFA advises FAM to abolish regional league committees
Fifa has advised FAM to abolish regional football league committees and, instead, entrust the mandate of running the leagues in regional football committees to be called regional football associations.
Fifa made the recommendation during the three-day Football Association of Malawi (FAM) constitutional review meeting held in Blantyre last November. This is contained in the proposed draft statutes FAM has been keeping under wraps, but Weekend Nation has seen.
“Regional Football Association [will be] responsible for all football related activities, in particular to organise competitions in association football in all its forms at regional level,” reads part of the document.
The development means the Southern, Central and Northern Region football leagues will cease to be FAM affiliates when the revised statutes are ratified later this year.
According to amendments that were done jointly by Fifa and FAM, the Super League of Malawi (Sulom) is set to be allocated the highest number of delegates [eight] at FAM general assembly followed by the regional football associations, which will have five delegates each while committees running women and youth football, coaches, referees and beach soccer, which will become associations, will have two delegates each.
This means the number of FAM affiliates will be reduced to nine from the current 12 and the FAM general assembly will be composed of 33 delegates instead of 36.
The meeting also recommended that the number of elected FAM committee members be reduced to four from six while at the same time incorporating into the executive committee chairpersons of Sulom and the National Women Football Association.
Fifa has also quashed FAM’s proposal for a two-thirds proportion to call for an extraordinary general meeting [EGM] and has stuck to 50 percent.
Prior to the meeting, FAM president Walter Nyamilandu indicated that they would contest the proposal arguing that it would be prone to abuse as some affiliates would call for an EGM without a valid reason.
The proposed statutes further states that elections of FAM, its affiliates and associates of the FAM affiliates shall be conducted in accordance with FAM’s electoral code.
“For a person to be elected president, first vice-president and second vice-president, a majority (more than 50 percent) of the votes recorded and valid is necessary. If there are more than two candidates for a position, the candidate that obtains the lowest number of votes is eliminated as from the second ballot until only two candidates are left.
“Election of the members of the four elected executive committee members shall be carried out on the basis of relative majority (the highest number of votes cast). Accordingly, the first four with highest number of votes will be declared winners,” further reads the document.
It also states that members of the executive committee shall be more than 30 years old and shall possess a minimum of a Malawi Schools Certificate of Education (MSCE) or its equivalent.
“They must have already been active in association football for a period of not less than five years (active as a player or official) and must not have been previously convicted in the last seven years of a crime involving dishonesty and moral turpitude,” states the document.
While confirming that there were several recommendations made during the meeting, FAM general secretary Suzgo Nyirenda said it would be premature to comment until the executive looks at the proposals.
“There were indeed directives that were made by Fifa delegation, but it will be the prerogative of FAM executive to look into the issue. As of now, I cannot divulge the information because it will be premature, please bear with me,” said Nyirenda.
Fifa is on a drive to review statutes of its member associations to be in line with its constitution.
