Mkorongo given condition for women soccer role
National Women Football Committee (NWFC) has drawn a contract for Thom Mkorongo to sign if he is to step in as national women football coach. The condition stated he will be involved with women soccer for at least three years.
NWFC chairperson Severia Chalira said on Thursday that the condition aims at ensuring that women football benefits from Mkorongo’s coaching techniques to prevent a scenario like the one that happened when former Mafco FC trainer, Temwa Msuku, abandoned women soccer when his contract as national women football coach was terminated.
Mkorongo, who will be assisted by active women soccer trainers Maggie Chombo-Sadiki and Andrew Chikhosi, was not on the list of coaches NWFC recommended to Football Association of Malawi (FAM) technical sub-committee and has not been attached to a women football club before, save for his coaching role in the Airtel Rising Star Under-17 Girls’ squad in Gabon last year.
However, FAM technical director John Kaputa said they recently appointed him as national women soccer team coach because of his vast coaching experience, including his mentoring of the Airtel Rising Stars squad.
Mkorongo, who sat for CAF-A Coaching Certificate exams few months ago, has been mostly involved with coaching TNM Super League teams such as Silver Strikers, Civo United and Epac FC and was at one point an assistant to former Flames’ expatriate coach Steven Constantine.
“As we rebuild and prepare for the Cosafa Championships in Seychelles in March 2016 and African Championships in May 2016, we do not want journey men in our fold. We want people who will be dedicated to helping improve women football standards. That is why we want Mkorongo to assure us of his commitment before his assignments,” Chalira said.
On his part, Mkorongo said he is ready to sign the papers and will commit much of his time to the women’s game.
The national women soccer team is returning from a self-induced two-year break for the rebuilding exercise following some embarrassing defeats in Cosafa Championships, including 2-8 loss to Zimbabwe and 1-5 beating by South Africa.
Meanwhile, the NWFC has abandoned plans to assemble the national squad for international friendly matches against Zambia, Zimbabwe and Tanzania following the shifting of the Cosafa Championships from November this year to March next year.
