Govt clears Flames’ dues

Government, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, has released K137 million for Flames’ Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) outstanding dues.

Initially, the ministry last week said Treasury had released K230 million  for the same, but in an interview yesterday,  director of sports Jameson Ndalama clarified that it was due to a communication breakdown.

He said: “The money that has been released is K137 million based on the proposal which FAM initially submitted.

“The initial budget [submitted by FAM] was on the assumption that the Flames would not go past the group stage.

“And when the team qualified for the group stage, it meant extra expenses which led to FAM submitting another proposal for K230 million covering up to the  end of the tournament, inclusive of the initial K137 million.”

However, Ndalama said at the time FAM submitted the second proposal [of K230 million], the initial request for K137 million was already being processed; hence, the mix-up as regards the actual figure that was released by Treasury.

“So, the amount that has been released is K137 million. Should there be need for more funding, then we will be informed by Sports Council after the reconciliations,” he said.

Sports Council spokesperson Edgar Ntulumbwa confirmed that the council received K137 million which has since been sent to FAM.

“We can confirm that we received K137 million from government and we have sent the whole amount to FAM,” he said.

In an interview yesterday, Flames vice-captain John ‘CJ’ Banda also confirmed having been paid all their dues, which included game bonuses and external allowances.

FAM president Walter Nyamilandu, who also confirmed having received the money from government,  said they still have a deficit of about K93 million.

“The players were paid all their outstanding dues on Wednesday. We had to borrow money to supplement what we got from government because it was not enough.

“We  didn’t want this to affect the players as we cannot turn back against our word.”

He also insisted that at the time the team was leaving for  the tournament, they had a K154 million deficit.

Said Nyamilandu:  “But when we qualified for the round of 16, it meant extra expenses and it came to K230 million.

“So, We still have a deficit for other expenses such as local camping, air tickets and accommodation in Cameroon.

“We are only hoping that they [government] will fulfil our balance since they know our plight and understand our cause.

“What the current situation means is that our success has come at a huge cost.”

The FAM president, nevertheless, acknowledged government’s gesture, saying: “All I can say is that half a loaf is better than none. It might not be sufficient, but it will still help settle part of the dues.”

Nyamilandu also painted a gloomy picture about the Flames’ upcoming engagements such as the 2023 Afcon and Champion of African Nations (Chan) qualifiers.

“We are dreaming about qualifying for both Afcon and Chan, but financially, it’s going to be extremely difficult because we are poorly funded. The funding we get is below par.

“Government gives us K300 million and we get K120 million from our sponsors FDH Bank plc against a K1 billion budget. We have high ambitions to qualify, but it’s a mismatch when we factor in funding.

“Our strategy and ambition are not well supported with resources.”