Malawi National Football Team coach Patrick Mabedi could find himself between a rock and a hard place if Flames’ poor performance continues, Malawi News can reveal.
Mabedi signed the contract as Flames coach on November 1, 2023 after an impressive performance as a caretaker coach in which he guided the team to the semi-finals of the Cosafa Cup for the first time in 20 years.
According to details which we have seen, Mabedi signed a performance based contract with Football Association of Malawi (Fam) and could lose some of the benefits if he fails to meet some of the targets.
“The Malawi National Team Men’s Head Coach shall sign performance targets with Fam and failure to meet the agreed targets shall constitute a valid reason justifying immediate 10 percent contract reduction with 15 days’ notice,” the contract reads.
As part of his contract, Mabedi was tasked to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals whose draw for the qualifiers will be held in Johannesburg on July 4.
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On top of that, Mabedi was tasked to win six matches in the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers. This means Mabedi is four matches away from achieving his target in the World Cup qualifiers having won two matches against Liberia (1-0) and Sao Tome and Principe (3-1).
However, he has lost two matches to Tunisia and Equatorial Guinea by 1-0 margins. The Flames have remained with three matches away against Namibia, Tunisia and Sao Tome and home matches against Liberia, Namibia and Equatorial Guinea.
Mabedi was also tasked to win the Cosafa Cup but Football Association of Malawi (Fam) recently said it is reviewing the contract.
Fam General Secretary Alfred Gunda was yet to respond to our questionnaire as we went to press Friday.
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The association’s vice president Madalitso Kuyera, who is also chairperson of the sub technical committee, refused to comment on the matter.
On the other hand, Mabedi was not readily available for his comment yesterday.
Mabedi gets K157.4 million annual gross salary. He also gets K1.5 million as motor vehicle allowance. On top of that, Mabedi is also entitled to nine percent of the cash prize of the tournament and eight percent if the team reaches quarterfinals and semi-finals of a paying tournament.
