Capital Hill’s cheap game on Flames

Someone at Capital Hill seems to have an incurable appetite for drama.Unfortunately, some of us do not find this drama funny.

Last Tuesday, Finance Minister Goodall Gondwe presented Capital Hill with yet another wonderful platform.

On the night of this day, the Flames were leaving for Mali ahead of last night’s 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Group E qualifier in Bamako.

Having known all along that there was a request for the trip’s funding, Capital Hill, like a naïve cute girl in town, played difficult and hard-to-get.

This drama fan eventually unzipped the purse later on the day after being thoroughly assured that everyone at FAM was sweating in their pants and the Flames were quaking in their boots.

Call me a layperson on how Treasury pulls its financial strings, but there is no justification to, before every Flames foreign trip, threaten gloom that there is no money only to release the same very late.

We are sick and tired of this cheap game which compromises heavily the already feeble Flames.

If there is no money to fund the Flames, say it loudly and mean it boldly.

Lilongwe should decide, once and for all, whether football is among its priorities or not. If not, tell the perpertual beggar FAM to jump into Shire River and forget about funding for international engagements.

So, where does FAM feature in all this drama? For starters, FAM is supposed to get supplementary financial support for the Flames and ensure that the supply chain of talent is functional and manage the team soundly.

If there will be flak on FAM, then it is on its mismanagement of the team, inability to plan long term and bring on board enough technical and financial partners.

But after all is said and done, the Flames, just like all national sports teams, are government’s business.

That is why the Flames are called Malawi senior national football team and not FAM national team. No jokes.