Coaches want to enforce minimum wage

National Football Coaches Association (NFCA) has engaged lawyers to help the body enforce the K745 000 monthly minimum wage for Super League coaches following resistance from some clubs.

The coaches body introduced the minimum wage in 2020 but it has met stiff resistance from clubs, with just Nyasa Big Bullets, Silver Strikers and Civil Service (Civo) United adhering to the order.

NFCA general secretary Davie Mpina said in an interview that they engaged lawyers to help them enforce it.

He said: “We are happy that we have made progress and during our annual general meeting [AGM] which will take place before the end of next month, everything that the legal experts have advised will be made public so that enforcement can legally be taking place.”

Mpina said Super League competition is high coaching level, hence there is no way they can continue seeing their members taking home less than K745 000 at the end of the month as is the case presently with most coaches.

NFCA came-up with the K745 000 minimum wageafter checking what coaches from neighbouring countries get.

Ekwendeni Hammers coach Etson Kadenge said coaches deserve the minimum wage set by NFCA.

He said:“It is good that the association has taken a bold step in making sure that the welfare of coaches is well taken care of. The minimum amount set is viable and its adherence needs to be enforced across the teams.”

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) is in support of the minimum wage though the association’s president Walter Nyamilandu called for NFCA and clubs to agree on the benchmark.

“There is need for the coaches association to discuss the benchmarks with the clubs who are the employers so that there is buy-in. This is one of the critical roles that the coaches association can play.”

But clubs failing to adhere to the K745 000 minimum wage said they cannot afford.

Ekwendeni Hammers general secretary Benjamin Thole said: “I will be very frank on this one. We may want to provide the coach such an amount but the question is: does our standard of football warrant such spending? Adhering to that will be jumping some steps.

“We need to first commercialise the game to a point that good output is being realised from the injection well-wishers incur in the sport. Otherwise, we cannot afford that.”

Karonga United general secretary Ramzy Simwaka said his team has no sponsors.

“We cannot do that because the club has no sound source of money. What is important is that we should make our clubs financially stable first otherwise, it is unjustifiable to provide the coach that much on our part.”

Mighty Wanderers board of director’s secretary Humphreys Mvula said the country’s calibre of coaches does not warrant such package.

“Salary rate goes with several considerations such as qualification. Most of our coaches do not have qualifications and it is a non-starter to claim that much,” he said.

On his part, Moyale Barracks FC general secretary Mike Chimwala said it is difficult for institutional clubs like theirs to adhere to what the coaches association has set because their technical personnel are under government payroll which is based on their grade.

“There is need for proper review on the whole issue to come up with an agreeable stand on how it can be accommodated,” he said.

Mighty Tigers general secretary Akuzike Kafwamba said clubs are going through financial challenges and should not be pushed to pay the K745 000.