Lifeline for local coaches

Under-qualified coaches have been handed a timely boost after Football Association of Malawi (Fam) announced that it will conduct a Caf B coaching course on July 7.

This follows Confederation of African Football (Caf) approval to hold the course for the first time since 2016.

The association announced on its website Tuesday that Caf stopped the courses in 2016 as member associations were directed to develop a custom tailored manual which Malawi drafted in 2020.

Fam Technical Director Benjamin Kumwenda was excited that Caf had approved the application to conduct the course.

“We have been working on achieving all the criteria which include programme, detailed course syllabus, examination procedure, head of coach education, technical structure, CV for instructors, coach registration system as well as coach education activities which we fulfilled in 2021,’’Kumwenda told Fam website.

This could be good news to local coaches to upgrade their coaching badges.

Caf B licence is a minimum coaching qualification in the country’s elite league ,according to club licencing regulations.

However, before the start of the season, Fam announced that coaches with Caf C coaching licence would be allowed to coach a Super League until the Caf B Coaching is conducted.

Several coaches, including Nyasa Big Bullets assistant Peter Mponda, Blue Eagles mentor Eliya Kananji and Civil Service United Assistant Oscar Kaunda, are expected to attend the course.

In an interview, Kananji was excited with the development.

“This is good news to us. We have been waiting for this and finally this is the chance for me to upgrade my qualifications,’’ Kananji said.

National Football Coaches Association Chairperson Aubrey Nankhuni said he was in a meeting Tuesday.

For the past five seasons, coaches without a minimum of Caf B-licence were being barred from the touchline. This led to several coaches being demoted to the role of assistants