NAM gets tough on international transfers

 

The Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) president Rosy Chinunda has said her association will no longer allow international clubs to deal directly with local teams or managers on contracts for local players.

 

 

This follows NAM’s failure to convince Australia’s Peninsula Waves to release shooter Mwawi Kumwenda for the recent African Netball Championships in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania a fortnight ago.

 

Waves argued that they also wanted Mwawi’s services during their second round encounters of the Victorian Netball League (VNL) which started on the same date as the competition in Tanzania.

 

While revealing that a Venezuelan club also wants to sign a defender from Malawi, Chinunda cautioned that from now onwards, it is only her association that will have the mandate to facilitate the contracts because the players are spotted while on national duty.

 

She said NAM initially let Mwawi’s Escom Sisters and her manager Hlupekile Phiri to do the signing of the her contract with the Waves because everyone was excited to have a professional netballer, not knowing that this procedure could turn back to hurt them.

 

“We have now realised that it will be difficult for us to have professional players released for international championships as was the case with Mwawi recently if we do not get tough on the contractual agreements.

 

“Up to now, we have not been given a copy of Mwawi’s contractual agreement with the Australian club and we are unable to get her for international events because we are not aware of their agreement. We will have a meeting soon on this issue,” she said.

 

Mwawi’s manager Phiri could not be reached for comment, but Escom Sisters coach Griffin ‘Zagalo’ Saenda, who is also the Queens coach, welcomed NAM’s reasoning.

 

“Indeed, international clubs would stop taking us for granted if we make sure that there are no loopholes in our system. We desperately wanted Mwawi’s services at the African Championships, but Waves let us down,” said Saenda.