FAM says Flames preps depend on funding
FAM says the Flames will only start preparations for next month’s 2022 World Cup back-to-back qualifiers against Ivory Coast upon getting assurance from Malawi National Council of Sports on the availability of funding.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu said this yesterday in response to a question on when the Flames will regroup for the two matches.
He said: “It will depend on funding. At the moment, our continued participation in World Cup qualifiers is in limbo.
“It is subject to resources which have run out at the moment.”
He said the Malawi national football team needs not less than K200 million for the two fixtures.
Sports Council spokesperson Faith Mtonyo-Mlauzi said in an inrerview yesterday that they will not comment on the issue “for now”.
On the other hand, Minister of Youth and Sports Ulemu Msungama yesterday referred The Nation to his ministry’s director of sports Jameson Ndalama who said: “The issue of FAM or Flames funding is the responsibility of Sports Council.
“So, I have to discuss with them [Sports Council] first to understand the situation and also consult my superiors.”
FAM suffered a K100 million cut in its annual government subvention for the 2021/22 financial year, having been allocated K200 million following the planned transition to a new financial year cycle starting April 1.
The funding reduction led to FAM lodging a complaint to Sports Council, arguing that the move came when they were facing high demand of national team activities.
Malawi are third in their four-team Group D with three points from two matches following their 1-0 win over Mozambique’s Mambas on Tuesday in Johannesburg South Africa.
They lost their opening qualifier 2-0 to Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions in Yaounde on Friday.
The group phase of Africa’s qualifying competition continues next month with two more rounds and concludes in November. The 10 group winners will be drawn into five play-off games in March to decide the continent’s representatives at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
