Former Flames goalkeeper Swadick Sanudi is back in Malawi national football team technical panel replacing Phillip Nyasulu as goalkeepers coach.
Sanudi’s club, Big Bullets, have since released him to join the Flames camp at Chiwembe Technical Centre.
“FAM [Football Association of Malawi] wrote us requesting that they want the services of our goalkeeper trainer and we gave him the green light to join the national team,” Bullets vice-general secretary Kelvin Moyo said on Tuesday.
Moyo said Sanudi’s appointment would not have an effect on them since they would be signing a new goalkeeper.
Bullets are hit by a goalkeeper crisis following the injuries of Owen Chaima and Vincent Gona, a situation that could force them to use Sanudi substitute for their third-choice ‘keeper Chimwemwe Kumkwawa.
FAM general secretary Suzgo Nyirenda yesterday confirmed the development, but could not explain the reasons for dropping Nyasulu.
“We followed recommendations made by the technical panel,” he said. “We were told that Nyasulu should be replaced by Sanudi for technical reasons.”
The changes come just after Malawi drew 2-2 with Swaziland in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier away in Mbabane where some pundits felt goalkeeping was the Flames’ weakest link.
This is not the first time for Sanudi to work with coach Ernest Mtawali as goalkeepers trainer. He was part of the interim technical panel headed by Mtawali that FAM appointed to replace fired coaches Young Chimodzi and Jack Chamangwana.
Both Mtawali and Nyasulu were not immediately available for comment yesterday, but Nyirenda said the technical panel would hold a press briefing tomorrow (Thursday) to explain more on the changes and the national team general preparations for the World Cup qualifier against Tanzania.
Malawi is preparing for the 2018 World Cup qualification first-round tie away against the neighbours on October 7 with the second leg set for Kamuzu Stadium five days later.
The Flames and other 25 teams, from position 28 to 53 according to July Fifa ranking, will participate in the first round with 13 winners advancing to the second round. If successful against Tanzania, Malawi will face North Africans Algeria in second round.
The 13 teams then join 27 top-ranked teams on the continent to play home-and-away over two legs with the 20 winners advancing to the third round.
The 20 teams will be divided into five groups of four teams to play home-and-away round-robin matches and five group winners will qualify for the 2018 Fifa World Cup.
