National Sports

Mixed reactions to Mabedi’s sacking

The football fraternity has received the news of Flames head coach Patrick Mabedi’s firing with mixed reactions.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) in a statement yesterday said Mabedi’s contract has been terminated due to the team’s poor performance in the 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers in which Malawi is out after losing all four Group L matches played.

The association said it held an emergency meeting on October 28 where the decision was reached to part ways with the coach.

The statement reads in part: “Football Association of Malawi wishes to inform all its stakeholders and the public that it has terminated the contract of the Malawi Senior Men National Football Team coach Mr. Patrick Mabedi with immediate effect.

Mabedi’s last game in charge was against Senegal

“This is in line with resolutions of the FAM Emergency Committee held on 28th October 2024. The decision is based on the recommendations from the technical committee following the dismal performance of the Flames and subsequent failure to qualify for the Total Energies Afcon 2025.”

Mabedi refused to comment on his firing yesterday.

While some football analysts believe Mabedi had it coming, others hold the view that the Flames’ never-ending problems are beyond the tactician.

Football analyst Patrick Zgambo described Mabedi as a ‘dead man walking’ after inheriting the Flames challenges.

He said: “He is just a perfect excuse to blame for the rot that is at FAM. It’s not entirely his fault because he inherited a poisoned chalice the moment he departed from youth and rebuilding, especially when the results simply were not right the moment he abandoned his own plans of rebuilding.

“So, here we start all over again and we will fire the next, then the next. We aren’t addressing what is the real issue here. Even [Pep] Guardiola cannot fix this team because it’s the system that is rotten and only spits everyone out.”

Another football analyst George Chiusiwa said though Mabedi‘s firing is not surprising, blaming the coach for the Flames mishaps was unfair.

He said: “The performance of the national team was not satisfactory, granted; but blaming the team’s gaffer for the overall dismal show of this team without regard to the other factors affecting the general state of the country’s football is unfair and unjust. Let us admit that we have systemic problems in our football that require a comprehensive strategic direction.”

Chiusiwa said he doubted if the new technical panel will bring instant results for the Flames.

He said: “We need to address the structural issues affecting the technical and tactical systems as well as the institutional development of the game with reference to the standards of our local league, among other factors.“

But another analyst Raymond Siyaya said much as Malawi has football challenges, FAM has made a correct decision based on the target the coach was given when he was appointed a year ago.

He said: “It’s been long overdue. Mabedi was just out of his depth. There was no recognisable progress around the team. It had no tactical identity and was largely disorganised with no clear strategy and structure. The fallout with some senior players exposed his failure to connect and command his dressing room as natural leaders do.”

The Flames’ fate in 2025 Afcon qualifiers was sealed after their fourth straight defeat in the campaign after going down 0-1 to Senegal at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

Senegal’s victory meant they joined Burkina Faso as the two teams to have qualified from Group L.

The two West African giants are tied at 10 points apiece.

However, the Stallions top the group courtesy of a better goal difference.

The Flames anchor the group with no point while Burundi are third with three points collected from their victory over Malawi

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