2015 Afcon diary irks FAM
The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has expressed displeasure with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers’ crammed diary, describing it as costly and taxing.
CAF announced at the weekend that the next African showpiece qualifiers will be played over three months.
The development means 144 fixtures involving 48 teams in 12 groups of four, will have to be squeezed in between September and November this year.
“We are not happy with CAF’s short notice, but I am afraid we will have to deal with it,” said FAM president Walter Nyamilandu.
Asked if there is a possibility of protesting the move, he said: “We can just express our concerns, but, unfortunately, it cannot be reversed because the next CAF Congress is next year.”
Nyamilandu also said the development has the potential to affect the country’s harmonised calendar.
His Namibia counterpart John Muinjo told BBC Sport that playing six international games in three months is hard on the health of the players.
Flames skipper Joseph ‘Shakira’ Kamwendo also described the challenge as a tall order.
CAF general secretary Hicham El Amran had not responded to our questionnaire as we went to press.
