Football Association of Malawi (Fam) has handed struggling TNM Super League teams a lifeline after scraping off K5 million surety as a requirement for Club Licencing.
Fam, at its executive meeting in Mangochi on Saturday, also agreed to minimise qualifications for Super League assistant coaches to be Caf C instead of Caf B.
In a statement released on Sunday, Fam indicated that the surety will be tied to subvention funds which the teams get from the association and Sulom.
“Super League clubs will not be paying a surety but their subvention funding from Fam and Sulom will be tied to club licencing where funds will be paid in installments across the season on condition of fulfilling and complying with club licencing conditions at the beginning and during the entire season,” the statement reads.
According to the statement, qualification for assistant coaches of Super League first team will be Caf C licence from current Caf B while the minimum for head coach will remain Caf B licence.
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“Minimum qualifications for Youth Coaches and Women’s League to be Fam C/D,” the statement read.
In another twist, Super League teams will be required to compulsorily submit annual financial statements from a reputable external audit firm.
When asked to explain if clubs will not lose part of their subvention through the arrangement, Fam Club Licencing and Compliance Manager Casper Jangale promised to return our call.
Efforts to call him later went in vain as his mobile phone was unreachable.
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However, some teams have welcomed the development.
FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Chief Administration Officer Albert Chigoga said the resolutions will help develop the game.
“On financial criteria, we have always been submitting our audited financial statements done by a reputable external auditor. It is not new to Bullets.
“Other resolutions are necessary to kick our game forward. It is therefore important to wait and see how the implementation will be done,” Chigoga said.
Silver Board Chairperson George Kaudza Masina said if football is to develop, the proposition from Fam is a way to go.
“In every trade, a qualification of some sort is essential if standards are to be maintained. As such, amending the Club Licencing regulations cannot be faulted.
“With club licencing, it is essential that it starts from the grassroots and that women’s football coaches certification be at Fam C/D for starters but to be upgraded after the pilot stage,” Masina said.
On financial criteria, Masina said this will protect both players and coaches who are mostly exploited.
“This will also protect the image of the league and association in general,” he said.
Masina said the challenge with club licencing is that Fam has always been coming with regulations which themselves have been failing to monitor and adhere to, rendering the blueprint useless.
“Let us hope, this time, they are going to respect their own resolutions,” he said.
