Incumbent Malawi National Council of Sports executive secretary George Jana has emerged as the most successful of three candidates interviewed for the post .
Sports Council board chairperson Reverend Dr. Lazarus Chakwera on Tuesday confirmed that the board would meet today (Wednesday) to discuss the terms of the contract renewal.
“We have offered Mr. Jana the job because he was the first. I was told he did better than the rest in the interviews. We have just notified him that he has been successful and he will determine whether he wants it,” Chakwera explained.
“The nitty-gritty of the contract are yet to be determined. The board would liase with government on the details of the contract. We will be meeting over that in Blantyre.”
Jana, who holds a Physical Education degree and a Masters in Strategic Management, attended the interviews alongside other high profile football administrators on April 25 2012.
Some of the Sports Council’s influential affiliates, the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu and his Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) counterpart Rosy Chinunda on day welcomed Jana’s retention.
“We have no problem with him as an individual and council boss in general. In fact, I already told him that ‘welcome back.’ When we push for NAM agenda, he helps. Of course, the biggest challenge he faces is that money is not enough for all sports associations,” Chinunda said.
On FAM’s expectation in Jana’s new tenure, Nyamilandu said the council chief could do better on appreciating and accommodating the needs of football whose main sponsor is the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The council is government’s implementing arm.
“He is the best qualified person for the job. He understands the system and he has managed to work under very difficult circumstances. For us, continuity was important. That is the only way we can proceed,” Nyamilandu explained.
Jana joined the mother sports body in the late 1990s and is credited for, among many other projects, broadening the sports council’s income-generating base, training of coaches and the introduction of first-ever Malawi sport management course for sports officials in partnership with the University of Pretoria.
