Malawi National Football Team players have cried foul over delays to get their game bonuses for the 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (Chan) qualifying matches.
The players are yet to receive their game bonuses for their wins over Comoros and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
Malawi beat Comoros by 2-0 scorelines on March 2 and March 8 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe to qualify for the second round where they beat Bafana 1-0 in the first leg.
Comoros used the local stadium as home ground as well.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) in March announced that the Flames would get K500 000 for the first leg victory over Comoros and K1 million for qualifying for the second round.
The players are also supposed to get K500 000 for beating Bafana.
This means each player is owed K2 million, and, in total, K36 million for the 18-member squad.
But two months later, the Flames players are yet to receive the bonuses for the Comoros matches, a development which has prompted them to voice their concerns.
This comes as the Flames are preparing to meet Bafana this Sunday in their second leg in Pretoria.
Malawi just need a draw to reach the final to be held in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in August.
One of the senior players said in an interview yesterday they expected FAM to at least pay them the Comoros matches bonuses.
He said: “It’s been two months now since we played Comoros, yet we have not received our game bonuses.
“Unfortunately, we have not been told why there is this delay and when we will be paid the bonuses.”
FAM general secretary Alfred Gunda in an interview yesterday said they are processing the payment so that the players can get their dues before travelling to South Africa.
He said the association had to prioritise other areas as Malawi is also participating in Cosafa Under-17 Women’s Championship, Under-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
Said Gunda: “Remember, we are participating in four competitions at the same time. All these require resources from the same basket. So, it is a matter of ensuring that we have resources for all these competitions so that none of them suffers.
“But it’s not like they will never get their bonuses. It’s their money. They won the games and they will get the bonuses. We are processing their bonuses and they will get them before the next match which is on Sunday.
“The players should concentrate on their next match. If they win this coming match, they will even get more money if they qualify for the finals.”
But football analyst Twaha Chimuka in an interview said FAM should have prioritised the senior team players’ needs.
He said: “It is very frustrating that the players are not being appreciated for their efforts, especially when you look at how they have performed these past games. They were supposed to be given their bonuses in time so that they can solve some of their family issues.
“Looking at how officials travel with the team and get their allowances on time, I did not expect that the players were not be rewarded for their performances. It’s my plea that FAM pays the players in time so that they are energised as we play South Africa.”
Another football analyst George Chiusiwa said monetary incentives can motivate the players.
He said: “FAM should realise that investments in the motivation of the national team players through monetary incentives are key to churning out good results.
“If there was a moment to optimally drive the team forward to fire them up, then this is the time. It will be a tough match in South Africa, and such silent but significant incentives as bonuses stimulate the players to fight a little more for the national flag.”
