FCB Nyasa Big Bullets have shortlisted three foreign coaches and just one local candidate for the interviews of the head coach position, the Malawi News Sport has learnt.
The development signals a bold statement of intent from the club, who are under pressure following a disappointing start to the 2026/27 FDH Bank Premiership season.
The club has been without a permanent head coach since the sacking of Peter Mponda in December 2025.
Gilbert Chirwa who was working on an interim basis has parted ways with the team on mutual agreement.
Earlier this week, The Daily Times reported that Bullets had resumed their coach recruitment process, with interviews expected to be conducted this week.
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According to sources privy to the details, the four shortlisted candidates are British coach Mark Harrison, Zambian tactician Chris Kaunda, German football veteran Ernst Middendorp, and Malawian coach Gerald Phiri Senior — the only local name to make the cut.
“The only Malawian coach who has been shortlisted for the job is former Mighty Wanderers, Big Bullets and Blue Eagles coach, Gerald Phiri are three foreign coaches — Mark Harrison, Chris Kaunda, and German coach Ernst Middendorp,” the source revealed. senior. There
A source confided in Malawi News that the interviews will be held on Saturday via virtual in Lilongwe but FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Chief Executive Officer Albert Chigoga declined to comment on the matter saying he does not have any knowledge regarding the interviews.
“I know nothing as a club, once everything is ready, we shall communicate as we normally do. I do not know anything for now,” Chigoga said.
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Mark Harrison is arguably the most familiar name among the foreign candidates, having already left his mark on the Malawian football landscape when he coached Bullets’ rivals Mighty Wanderers.
Meanwhile, Kaunda arrives as a highly respected figure within Zambian football, with a reputation built on developing talent and winning silverware at every club he has managed.
The Zambian coach, who received his coaching education in the Netherlands, holds both a Uefa B Licence and a Caf A Licence- qualifications that underline his professional pedigree.
His club career has taken him through some of Zambia’s most prominent institutions, including Nkhwazi, Kabwe Warriors, Zanaco, and most recently Young Leopard FC.
If experience across continents is what Bullets are looking for, Ernst Middendorp brings an unparalleled breadth of exposure to the table.
The German coach has spent nearly two decades coaching professional football at the highest level across Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Middendorp, who holds a Uefa Pro Licence—the prestigious Fussball-Lehrer qualification issued by the German Football Association— began his coaching career with VfB Alstätte in July 1985, before moving to Eintracht Nordhorn in 1987.
Completing the quartet is Gerald Phiri senior, the sole Malawian coach to have made the shortlist.
Phiri carries with him an impressive domestic pedigree, having previously managed Mighty Wanderers, Bullets and Malawi Police Service side Blue Eagles, three of the country’s most storied clubs.
Analyst Parry Chinyama said Kaunda and Middendorp are better options.
“Between the two that I have noticed that can do a better job is the Zambian coach and Middendorp; who used to coach Kaizer Chiefs simply because of the cultural similarities of the country and philosophy that these countries share, they can turn around things at Bullets as compared to the others,” Chinyama said.
Football writer Antony Isaiah Jnr opted to differ from Chinyama saying Harrison could be a better option for Bullets.
