FAM, NAM get far less than their proposed budgets
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) and Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) have been allocated far less than their proposed budgets for the 2019/20 financial year by government through the Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS).
According to MNCS acting executive secretary Henry Mereka, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) and Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) have had their allocations maintained at K300 million and K200 million, respectively.
This is in contrast to the K1.4 billion that FAM proposed and over K500 million that NAM asked for.
He said Hockey Association of Malawi (HAM) is third biggest beneficiary at K60.5 million with Association of Draughts in Malawi (Adma), Malawi Cricket Union (MCU) and Golf Union of Malawi (GUoM) getting K18 million, K17 million and K13 million, respectively.
Malawi School Sport, Darts Association of Malawi (DAM) and Volleyball Association of Malawi (VAM) follow with K10 million, K8 million and K4.5 million, in that order.
Said Mereka: “More than three quarters of the disciplines [affiliated to us] will benefit. However, topping the list are football and netball. Then we have hockey at K60.5 million because of their stadium project.
“Draughts will get K18 million because of their participation in the world tournament in Bulgaria, cricket will get K17 million as they will be hosting the World Cup qualifiers while golf has been allocated K13 million for participating in Zone VI tourney and hosting of the Junior Golf Championship.”
He said Malawi School Sport will get K10 million for the Under-20 Games in Tanzania, DAM will get K8 million for the Zone VI Junior Darts Tournament while VAM will be allocated K4.5 million “for the hosting of the first-ever international umpires’ course”.
Reacting to their allocation, FAM general secretary (GS) Alfred Gunda said: “The projected budget for the national teams was K1.4 billion, [but] we have been allocated K300 million, which looking at the competitions that we have in the period, will not suffice.
“We have already raised a flag with government through MNCS that there will be need to submit an extra budget request having projected that the national team engagements within the year require more resources,” he said.
Gunda said as an association, they have been working to get other partners to complement government funding towards national team activities.
“With travel subsidy support from Fifa, we have contributed to bridge gaps one of the areas that are cost intensive, thus the travel. FAM also projects to use revenues from TV rights at continental level, including the sponsorship we have from FDH Bank.”
NAM president Khungekile Matiya said she could not comment as Sports Council is yet to communicate to them about the allocation.
Athletics Association of Malawi (AAM) general secretary Frank Chitembeya said it is unfortunate that a big sporting discipline like athletics is not on the list of top beneficiaries.
“The world will judge them. Athletics is a big sporting discipline. Anyway, we leave it in their hands,” he said.
Minister of Youth Sports and Culture Francis Phiso said even if the affiliates did not get what they asked for, they always get additional funding.
“There has never been a time when they got the required funding and most of them [associations] exhaust their allocations.
“But as has been the case, they will be required to request for extra funding for consideration. However, in future we have to work on giving them reasonable allocations,” he said.
