Malawi National Football Team players’ extra bonuses at the ongoing Afcon finals risk being shelved following a financial crisis FAM is swimming in following Malawi’s qualification to the last 16, Nation on Sunday understands.
Each player is expected to receive K4 million in external allowances and bonuses and the perks will increase if the team progresses to the quarter-finals.
As of now, after the team’s qualification to the last 16, each player will pocket about K1.2 million in external travel allowances, K2 million each for the win over Zimbabwe and the draw against Senegal.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) also promised the players an extra K100 000 to each player per day for qualifying for the last 16.
However, FAM president Walter Nyamilandu yesterday said in an interview that the bonuses will be affected by financial constraints.
He said: “It’s the most affected part because the bonuses were not factored in being unknown quantity. It was purely an activity-based budget. “Following our qualification to the knockout stages, pressure has escalated given that that we came here with a huge deficit of K154 million and called up reserve players to join the camp at our own cost.”
However, Nyamilandu said they were hoping that government would rescue the association.
He said: “We are in constant touch with the Ministry of Sports to bail us out having run our coffers dry and exhausted all sponsorship funds.
“We have been assured that they are working on our application with Treasury and there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.”
As one way of cutting costs, FAM has sent back affiliates and executive members who travelled with the Flames.
Three regional associations chairpersons Lameck Khonje (North), Austin Ajawa (Centre) and Raphael Humba (South), National Football Coaches Association chairperson Aubrey Nathaniel, National Football Referees Association chairperson Patrick Kapanga, FAM second vice-president Othaniel Hara, executive member Muhammad Seleman have all returned.
However, some have opted to remain in Cameroon and will pay for their expenses.
Nyamilandu confirmed the development.
He said: “This was essentially a cost-saving initiative because we had budgeted activities up to the group stages.”
However, analysts say FAM should have known better the consequences of travelling with a bloated entourage to the Afcon finals.
“FAM should not have travelled with those affiliates to Cameroon in the first place,” soccer analyst George Chiusiwa said.
Meanwhile, Malawi National Council of Sports has submitted the request for funding to Ministry of Sports, according to the council’s spokesperson Edgar Ntulumbwa.
