Fifa envoy for vibrant grassroots football
World football governing body, Fifa, has tipped Football Association of Malawi (Fam) to consider investing in youth football if the country is to have a vibrant national football team.
Fifa official, Ulric Mathiot, who is also Technical Director for Seychelles Football Association, attributed Malawi National Football Team’s poor performance to poor grassroots football in the country.
Speaking in an interview soon after opening a grassroots football workshop at Mpira Village in Chiwembe on Monday, Mathiot said:
“We, as Fifa, support countries with funds and expertise to develop grassroots football. From there, we leave it to associations to continue nurturing talent. It is for this reason that we introduced the pilot project of the Under-15 League. Malawi should, therefore, introduce Under-17 and 21 leagues, so that these boys graduating into the next stages should be used in the senior team.”
The Fifa envoy is in the country as a grassroots football instructor. He is drilling 30 grassroots football educators and instructors, including nine women.
Fam Executive Committee member, Daud Mtanthiko, assured Mathiot that grassroots football development was incorporated into the association’s strategic plan.
“Despite limited resources, we are trying our best to ensure smooth implementation of such plans. One example of our commitment in the development of grassroots football is our outstanding achievement in the pilot project of the Under-15 leagues in the country,” Mtanthiko said.
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