Blue Eagles have restructured their technical panel as they prepare for life in the top-flight league.
The restructuring process has seen former coach Deklerk Msakakuona returning to the club as technical director.
In another move, Steve Msakakuona has been appointed assistant to coach Eliya Kananji.
Msakakuona (Steve) has replaced Sankhani Mkandawire who was doubling the roles as a player and assistant coach last season.
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Former midfielder Blessings Tembo has been appointed as performance analyst and fitness trainer whereas former Fifa referee Leonard Ngoleka is now the kit master.
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Chimwemwe Chitedze has been maintained as goalkeepers’ trainer whereas Philip Masiye is still the team manager.
Eagles Chief Administration Officer Muhamad Ali confirmed the changes.
“We believe Msakakuona (Deklerk) will bring experience to the team. We know the competition is always tough in Elite football,” Ali said.
He claimed some of the changes were made based on recommendation from Kananji.
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“We consulted our head coach on the appointments. So, we hope we will have a good season,” he said.
But both Kananji and Msakakuona (Deklerk) were not answering their mobile phones yesterday.
Msakakuona served as Eagles coach for 11 years and won several titles including the defunct FISD Challenge Cup and Standard Bank Cup.
He left Eagles when he was appointed Malawi Under-17 National Football Team coach in 2019. Following his departure, the Area 30-based club appointed Gerald Phiri Snr as coach. Under the tutelage of Phiri, the club escaped relegation on the last day of the season after beating Mighty Wanderers 3-1 at Kamuzu Stadium.
Phiri then left the club on mutual agreement.
Eagles then appointed Kananji, who helped them finish second in the league in 2022 before they were relegated the following year.
But Eagles made an instant return to the TNM Super League after winning the 2024 Chipiku Stores Premier Division League with an unbeaten record.
Last year, they became the first second-tier side to win the FDH Bank Cup following a 3-2 victory over FCB Nyasa Big Bullets on post-match penalties.
