Council warns Fam
Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS)—an umbrella body for all domestic sports bodies—has warned Football Association of Malawi (Fam) against scrapping off minimum academic qualification for those wishing to contest for the association’s various posts.
However, despite MNCS warning, Fam is protected by Fifa which does not entertain external interference by the government and its agencies on all associations affiliated to the world football governing body.
During a meeting held in Mangochi last week, Fam affiliates proposed the removal of Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) requirement for executive committee membership while also rejecting a proposal for a bachelor’s degree for the presidency.
But in an exclusive interview on Thursday, MNCS Executive Secretary, George Jana, said it was impossible to scrape off the minimum qualification.
Jana said MNCS has management policies which apply to all affiliated sports bodies, including Fam.
“That cannot be [the case]. The qualification stands. They are wrong to abolish [propose abolition] the MSCE as a minimum qualification for the aspirants. As a council, we will simply not endorse it and the elected people will not be recognised,” Jana said.
Fam is yet to release a statement on the proposed changes which are subject to consultation, Fam executive committee’s nod then adoption at the association’s annual general meeting (AGM) scheduled for December.
The association’s General Secretary, Alfred Gunda, said the outcome of the meeting was not for public consumption at this stage.
Fam President, Walter Nyamilandu, said the association’s legal sub committee chairperson, Jabbar Alide, was better placed to comment on the proposals from the Mangochi meeting.
Nyamilandu said he did not influence the outcome of the meeting in Mangochi, adding that the decisions were made to level the playing field.
He added that the proposals from the meeting would, as part of the on-going consultative process, be sent to Fifa for them to ascertain if they conform to the world football governing body’s statutes.
“If some feel that I influenced the outcome of the meeting then they are not reading the times correctly. There are very few people with degrees who are involved in football, yet there are many people who have invested all their time in football. The general feeling was that ‘should we sideline them?
“Those are the views of the members. My job is to ensure that we have statutes that are not discriminatory. If I am going to stand again I wouldn’t do this. I would leave competition to a few [with degrees]. But now we are opening the association to all— be it former players or referees [for them] to have a chance to run football. There is no MSCE requirement for even Members of Parliament,” Nyamilandu explained.
Alide yesterday said people were rushing into making a conclusion on the matter as the proposals were at a consultation stage and all stakeholders would give their input before being consolidated for the nod of Fam executive, then taken to the association’s AGM.
In a separate interview, Fam presidential aspirant MacDonald Mafuta-Mwale said the association owes the nation an explanation on the proposed changes.
“I am ineligible to comment on the issue. But I think they have reasons why they did it. Let us understand from them. It is a public office hence they cannot do things without explaining.
“That is why people have questions, so they need to have a very good explanation so that people understand properly what they mean,” said Mafuta-Mwale who is eyeing the presidency in the 2019 elections.
Among others, the meeting proposed the introduction of a three-term limit for the association’s president in line with Fifa’s statutes.
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