Football Association of Malawi (Fam) can breathe a sigh of relief after the Ministry of Youth and Sports approved K760 million extra funding towards Malawi National Football Team, the Flames.
Fam submitted a request to Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) for extra funding for the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Sao Tome and Principe and Equatorial Guinea last month after its annual allocation was exhausted.
However, one month after the two matches, government is yet to release the funds.
In an interview yesterday, Sports Council Chief Executive Officer Henry Kamata said extra funding has been approved.
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“We got a response from the authorities that the funds have been approved and will be released soon,” Kamata said.
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Fam also requested extra funding for Flames to take part in the 2024 Cosafa Cup which took place in Port Elizabeth, South Africa from June to early this month.
However, the Flames pulled out of the tournament at the eleventh hour following the death of former state vice president Saulos Klaus Chilima and eight others who died in a plane crash in Chikangawa Forest.
The request from Fam was above the K722 million which is in Sports Council basket for all sports associations.
Fam General Secretary Alfred Gunda was not answering his mobile phone yesterday after several requests.
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However, in May Gunda confirmed that the association requested for extra funding for the World Cup qualifiers.
“It is the government’s responsibilities to fund all national teams. But apart from government, Fam also gets annual allocations from Fifa and Confederation of African Football (Caf) for operations and other projects. Fifa also allows member associations to use $1million (about K1.7 billion) for operational costs for operational costs including national team activities and domestic competitions,” Gunda was quoted as saying.
FDH Bank Plc also sponsors the Flames to the tune of K250 million per year.
The association is also expected to face fresh financial hurdles as they will play six matches in three months after they were drawn in Group L alongside Senegal, Burkina Faso and Burundi.
They will start at home against Burundi before travelling to Burkina Faso in September.
Thereafter, the Flames will play Senegal back-to-back starting with the away fixture and then at home. Match Day Three and Four will be played between October 7 and 15.
