Malawi President Peter Mutharika’s promise that government will review dual citizenship law has rekindled remote hope for the domestic sports fraternity which is also affected by the law.
“Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the 2015/2016 fiscal year, government will review the Citizenship Act in order to, among others, consider dual citizenship and eliminate discrimination based on gender,” Mutharika said in his State of the Nation Address made in Parliament on Tuesday.
Sports teams such as the Flames have been unable to feature players with dual citizenship, hence; Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu’s interest in Mutharika’s address.
“We stand a very good chance of building a strong national team using Malawians that have naturalised in Europe and are playing professional football. We have lost opportunities in the past of incorporating such good players due to complications of dual citizenship,” said Nyamilandu.
“We support the proposal because it will help develop sports and enhance our competitiveness in international competitions.”
Notable players that were denied the Flames opportunities were late Phumlani Dindi of South Africa and Tamika Mkandawire then based in the United Kingdom.
Ernest Mtawali was also barred from featuring for the Flames’ game against Morocco at Kamuzu Stadium while already in camp because he then also had a South Africa passport.
Acquatic Union of Malawi president Dean Pinto said there were quite a few athletes who, if granted dual citizenship, could feature for other disciplines such as squash, rugby, hockey and tennis. Acquatic cover all waters in sports.
“Overall, it is positive in the sense that it increases competition for representation but there must be control measures such as being limited to participation, none eligibility of scholarship etc,” said Pinto whose body’s main discipline is swimming.
Former Flames defender Patrick Mabedi, who is based in South Africa, recently said his daughter was a champion in Gauteng swimming competitions, but the Acquatic Association has been unable to entice her.
South Africa-based boxing star Isaac Chilemba has also been under temptation to switch citizenship, he only changed his mind after meeting former president the late Bingu wa Mutharika.
