Football Association of Malawi (FAM) at the weekend subjected Silver Strikers forward Binwell Katinji to mental torture when it called him to join Flames camp on Saturday only to send him back home later in the evening.
The striker, who scored in both the recent 2024 Africa Nations Championship (Chan) qualifying play-offs against Comoros in which the Flames sailed through to the second round 4-0 on aggregate, was not in the initial squad FAM released last week, leading to public outcry.
A source confided in The Nation that Flames team manager James Chilapondwa phoned the player to report for Flames camping on Saturday and Katinji referred him to his team manager Emmanuel Chipatala for clearance.’
Said the source: “He [Katinji] duly reported for camp in the evening and had supper with the rest of the players, only to be told to return home because his recall was an error.
“The visibly disappointed player was driven home in Area 36 by his club coach Peter Mgangira, who is also Flames’ physical trainer.”
FAM competitions and communications director Gomezgani Zakazaka confirmed the comedy of errors, attributing it to communication breakdown.
“There was a breakdown in communication between us and that of Silver, otherwise the player had not been recalled,” he said.
The Bankers have since written a protest letter to FAM, expressing their “disappointment and deep concern regarding the unacceptable treatment of our player, Binwell Katinji, in relation to his recent call-up to the Malawi National Football Team”.
Reads the letter signed by Silver chief executive officer Patrick Chimimba: “We received an email from the technical support manager Mr. James Sangala on 9th March 2025 requesting us to facilitate the release of seven of our players, including Binwell Katinji.
“On the 11th of March, FAM released a 28-man squad and from the requested players, Binwell Katinji’s name was missing. Upon further inquiry, the technical support manager informed us that his name had been included erroneously.
“While this in itself was surprising, the events on the 15th March 2025 have been particularly distressing and raise serious concerns about the professionalism and integrity of the processes within the Football Association of Malawi.”
The Reserve Bank of Malawi-sponsored outfit further says their player was directly contacted by Chilapondwa around 5pm, who instructed him to report to camp, “which he dutifully did”.
The letter further reads: “He even went on to have supper with the team around 7pm, believing he was part of the squad. Around 8pm, he was shockingly informed—again—that he had been called up by mistake and was not supposed to be there and should leave camp.
“He left immediately and was escorted back home by Mr. Mgangira. Such treatment is not only profoundly embarrassing, but also damaging to the player’s psychological well-being.
“We expect a higher standard of professionalism from FAM, particularly in handling players’ careers and welfare. This incident has caused unnecessary emotional distress to our player, and we find it wholly unacceptable that such treatment can be meted out by a national football governing body.”
The club says given the gravity of this situation, they are seeking urgent clarification from FAM on why their player was treated this way and what guarantees they have for the safety and well-being of the other players in camp.
“Furthermore, we request a formal apology for the FA’s treatment of Binwell Katinji. Silver Strikers FC remains committed to supporting national football, but we also have a duty to protect our players from avoidable harm,” the letter further reads.
Katinji was not available for comment yesterday.
