Mwase fired
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has fired Flames coach Meck Mwase and replaced him with technical director Mario Marian Marinica.
The appointments follow resolutions from a FAM executive committee meeting held in Mangochi on Saturday.
FAM general secretary Alfred Gunda said in an interview yesterday that Mwase, who led the Flames to 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualification, will be redeployed by the government for the rest of his contract which expires in April next year.
He said: “The committee resolved to appoint Mario as the head coach of the Malawi national football team. This was arrived at after the committee was impressed with the performance of the national team at the Afcon finals in Cameroon in January under Marinica as caretaker head of technical panel and resolved to give him full mandate.
“Marinica will cease to be the technical director and will sign a new contract for his new role in due course. Among others, Marinica will choose his own backroom staff.”
The development means assistant coaches Lovemore Fazili and Bob Mpinganjira’s fate is in Marinica’s hands.
Mwase yesterday said he was not aware of FAM’s decision to fire him.
He said: “I am yet to be informed of my fate. So, I can only comment when I get the official communication from my employers.”
But soccer analyst Patrikc Zgambo said FAM already had a plan to replace Mwase before the Afcon finals.
He said: “Mwase was a dead man walking. We all knew that. So no surprises there. In face, they fired him in January, constructively.”
Meanwhile, the association has appointed FAM technical development officer Benjamin Kumwenda as the new TD.
FAM has also decided to renew contracts for Under-20 coach Patrick Mabedi and Under-17 coach DeKlerk Nsakakuwona which expired in October last year.
