Football Association of Malawi (FAM) annual general meeting (AGM) on Saturday axed National Youth Football Association, National Football Coaches Association and National Referees Association as the mother body’s affiliates.
This followed a motion which Northern Region Football Association chairperson Masiya Nyasulu moved during the AGM held in Salima.
In his proposal, Nyasulu argued that having the three as affiliates is a duplication since FAM already has structures performing their duties.
The development means once the FAM statutes are amended, the statutes which will later be ratified at the next AGM, will reflect that it has seven affiliates, namely Super League of Malawi, Northern Region Football Association, Central Region Football Association, Central Region Football Association, Eastern Region Football Association, Beach Soccer Malawi and National Women’s Football Association.
FAM president Fleetwood Haiya said the three associations were not supposed to be affiliates in the first place.
He said the statutes amendments are in line with Fifa and Confederation of Africa Football (CAF).
Malawi football has been lagging behind because of having coaches referees and youth as member associations, a development CAF and Fifa are also against, according to Haiya.
Nevertheless, the motion did not just pass without opposition as National Football Coaches Association chairperson Aubrey Nakhuni and his National Youth Football Association counterpart Tiyenkhu Chavula, vehemently opposed the move.
But still 31 out of 42 delegates voted in favour of the motion.
Football analyst George Chiusiwa in an interview also said the move is retrogressive to football development.
He said: “Football governance entails internal mechanisms for strengthening transparency and accountability.
“And this is only possible when members of the national football governing body have equal political powers for decision-making.
“In the modern times, effective football governance is only possible when members of football associations are free to express their views in a free and transparent environment.”
Chiusiwa said the amendments are aimed at serving the interest of individuals and not football in general.
He said: “This is not the football transformation that the country was promised but retrogression.”
