Cometh the hour, cometh the men and women. All roads lead to Mzuzu this morning for the Football Association of Malawi (Fam) Elective General Assembly (EGA) at Sunbird Mzuzu Hotel.
The battle for Fam presidency is a two-horse race between incumbent president Walter Nyamilandu and Super League of Malawi (Sulom) president Fleetwood Haiya.
The harsh reality of elections is that there will be winners and losers.
At the end of the day, one of the two will lead the association for the next four years.
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This is a make or break situation as the 36 people from nine affiliates will decide the future of Malawi football. Both Haiya and Nyamilandu unveiled their manifestos last week in Lilongwe.
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In his manifesto titled, ‘Transforming the Game’, Haiya, focuses on 15 key areas including technical development and capacity building, build strategic collaboration for football development and legal reforms, transparency and accountability.
On top of that, Haiya has promised to set K500 million as a minimum sponsorship for the Super League and he also pledged to strengthen and enhance the partnership with the corporate world and other stakeholders.
In his remarks, Haiya said his blueprint is aimed at transforming the game in Malawi.
“As a seasoned business person, I am aware every corporate partner wants value for money. For this reason, I will ensure that we treat the private sector as partners and not just mere sponsors. My leadership will be transparent and accountable to all sponsors and the public at large.”
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Among other things, Haiya has promised to buy cars for all the regional football associations to ease their mobility challenges.
Haiya earned five nominations from Sulom, Northern Region Football Association, Beach Soccer Association, National Football Coaches Association and National Referees Association.
On the part of Nyamilandu, his manifesto titled ‘ Bridging the Gap’ focuses on men’s football, women’s football, beach soccer, talent identification and coaching education.
In addition, Nyamilandu promised to build a modern 40,000 capacity in Blantyre, a five -star hotel in Lilongwe as well as turning Mpira Village into a women’s football development centre with a pledge to transfer the association’s headquarters from Blantyre to Lilongwe.
During the unveiling of the manifesto in Lilongwe, Nyamilandu said he was optimistic of fulfilling the manifesto if he is re-elected.
“Our manifesto is focusing on all areas and it is about embracing the best practices. I have identified the gaps in talent, competitions, governance and we want to bridge the gaps.
“Having Raised The Bar of Malawian football over the past four years, it is time to now bridge the gap that is limiting Malawi football from being a continental and global powerhouse,” Nyamilandu said.
He said his manifesto has the promises and strategies that will transform Malawian football so that local football excels and inspires people within and outside our country.
Nyamilandu also promised to lobby for Flames’ funding to hit K1 billion.
He got three nominations from Central Region Football Association, Southern Region Football Association and National Youth Football Association whereas National Women’s Football Association did not nominate any candidate.
Sports analyst George Kaudza-Masina urged all candidates and affiliates to exercise peace during the elections.
“In every election, there is a winner and loser. I hope the candidates should prepare their camps for the outcome of the elections. Anything can happen so let the candidates accept the results,” Kaudza-Masina said.
The battle for first vice president is between James Mwenda and Madalitso Kuyera whereas Lameck Khonje are competing for the position of second vice president.
Fellistus Dossi and Mervis Mangulenje were nominated for the post of female executive committee members.
Muhammad Seleman, Chimango Munthali, Daud Mtathiko, Patrick Kapanga, Raphael Humba, Bernard Chiwiriwiri Harawa and Chancy Gondwe are competing for the position of executive committee members.
