TZ club gives up on Kinnah

Tanzanian top side Simba Sports Club has given up on its earlier intention to consider Flames coach Kinnah Phiri for a coaching job after failing to get an official commitment from him.

Kinnah and Kenyan top club Gor Mahia coach Zradvko Logarusic were earmarked for the post to replace Serbian Milovan Cirlovic.

Instead, Simba have since engaged French Patrick Lieweig.

Simba’s board chairperson Ismail Aden Rage said they had to change their plans following both Kinnah and Logarusic’s failure to commit themselves for the job.

“The thing is that one of the coaches we were seriously considering for the job was indeed Kinnah Phiri, but due to some contractual issues with the Malawi FA, he could not make a commitment and we had to move on because time was not on our side,” said Rage from Tanzania’s capital Dar es Salaam on Sunday.

He said Lieweig has since started his new role.

Kinnah said he could not make a commitment as he was still contracted to the Malawi Government.

“They [Simba] indeed verbally expressed interest in me through an agent after they heard that my future with the Flames was uncertain, that was during last year’s Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup tournament in Uganda.

“But then I could not make a commitment because I had to seek clarification from government as well as FAM regarding my future,” said Kinnah.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu and Youth and Sports Minister Enoch Chihana said the determination on the future of the Flames coaching panel will be made at a joint meeting with Sports Council and officials from the Ministry of Youth and Sports later this month.

Chihana recently confirmed advising FAM to meet officials from his ministry and the Council to map the way forward for the Flames coaching panel.