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Pasuwa proposed for flames role

FAM technical sub-committee has  recommended FCB Nyasa Bullets coach Kalisto Pasuwa  as  interim Flames coach to oversee the remaining 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers against Guinea and Ethiopia.

The proposal follows an announcement by Football Association of Malawi (FAM) on Saturday that it will not renew the Romanian coach Mario Marinica’s contract and that he will proceed on leave for the remainder of his one-year contract.

The technical sub-committee met on Saturday at Mpira Village in Blantyre to map the way forward.

While confirming that the meeting indeed proposed an interim technical panel, the committee’s acting chairperson Suzgo Ngwira-Simbi, who is also a FAM executive committee member, could not be drawn to reveal their identities.

She said: “It was recommended that the post should be advertised, but  in the interim, a caretaker panel was recommended. However, I cannot reveal the names as this is just a recommendation  to the FAM executive committee.”

Recommended by technical subcommittee: Pasuwa

But a well-placed source confided in The Nation that the committee settled for Pasuwa due to the Zimbabwean mentor’s impressive track record both at club and national team levels.

He said: “A couple of names were thrown into the fray, but in the end it was resolved that Pasuwa should be recommended to the FAM executive committee.”

The source further revealed that former Mighty Mukuru Wanderers head coach Alex Ngwira and Patrick Mabedi, who was one of Marinica’s assistants, were recommended for the posts of assistant coach.

“On its part, the National Football Coaches Association proposed  Ngwira as interim head coach with [Blue Eagles coach] Elia Kananji as his assistant, but after a lengthy debate, it was felt that Pasuwa would be ideal,” said the source.

According to the source, the  meeting further proposed  a three-member advisory  panel comprising members of the technical sub-committee, namely Yasin Osman, Kelvin M’mangisa and FAM technical director Benjanin Kumwenda.

The source further said it was recommended that when hiring the next permanent coach, FAM should also consider engaging a foreign African coach to ease  cultural and communication challenges .

Other members of the technical sub-committee are Coaches Association chairperson Aubrey Nankhuni, Humphrey Mvula and Julius Mithi.

In an interview yesterday, FAM president Walter Nyamilandu said:  “We will seek guidance from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Malawi National Council of Sports and also consider views of the technical sub-committee to enable us make an informed decision on the way forward.”

Pasuwa, a former Zimbabwe national team coach, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

However, football analyst George Chiusiwa said while coaches are central to winning in football, there is need to carry out a comprehensive technical assessment and evaluation.

He said: “Chalking positive results is a product of several other factors.

“There are a myriad of technical and tactical shortcomings characterising the failure of the Flames today and thus there is urgent need to address the underlying issues affecting the local game such as the deficient player development processes.

“As a football society, we may not be remedying the critical challenges when FAM improperly and strangely engages national team coaches without considering the long-standing problems.

“While we have made gains in the institutional and administrative senses of the game as well as technical developments in aspects like coaching and refereeing, the country has not invested much in genuine player identification, monitoring and development in systematic football development systems.

“The local leagues, at both elite and regional levels, leave much to be desired. Grassroots football has been neglected for long as properly organised school and academy football is non-existent with poor regulation and administration as the order of the day. This cannot translate into a successful national football team. The poor showing of the Flames is not surprising at all.

“Changing coaches now and then may not genuinely address the misfortunes at the Flames. We need to go back to the basics in player and football development.”

Chiusiwa further said institutional gains that have  been attained over time will translate into meaningful outcomes on the pitch only if  the basic technical elements in the development are pursued.

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