Players body tears into FAM

Football Players Association of Malawi (Fpam) says Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has failed to stick to its declaration not to issue licences to TNM Super League clubs which have outstanding dues with players.

Fpam general secretary (GS) Ernest Mangani said in an interview yesterday that most of the clubs that have been issued licences owe their players in salaries, signing-on fees and game bonuses.

He said: “We have evidence obtained from our members to prove that most of the clubs have dues to settle with players.”

The Fpam GS cited Karonga United and Mighty Wanderers as some of the teams that owe players.

He said: “FAM declared that with effect from this coming season, they would not issue licences to teams that owe players, but here we are back to square one.

“We have since engaged FAM on the matter to ensure that they do the needful and if they do not act, then we are prepared to move to the next level, even if it means taking to the streets.

“In as far as players’ welfare is concerned, we are ready to do that because they also have families that look up to them for survival and it is unfortunate that FAM is being linient.”

A Wanderers player also confided that at the time the club was issued with a licence, they had not been paid for two months.

He said: “We still have not been paid our salaries for December and January. The last time we got paid was when [Thomson] Mpinganjira was still the club’s president.”

However, FAM licensing and compliance manager Casper Jangale said in an interview yesterday that as far as their records are concerned, it is only Mighty Tigers who have outstanding dues with players.

He said: “The licensing process involved players through their captains and when we asked them, they said they were not owed anything.

“Of course, there were instances when some of the captains would claim that they were owed money, but when the moment of putting it on record came, they would change their tune.

“So, it could have been out of fear, but that’s how it is. On record, the only team that owes players is Tigers and that is why they were not granted a licence.”

But Mangani said it is unrealistic to get views from a team of 25 to 30 players based on one player, “because even the captain can confirm out of fear or can be compromised”.

He said: “There is a lot of fear and exploitation at most of these clubs and FAM, as a football regulator, needs to be on top of things.”