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Walter clarifies on likening Flames to Barca

 

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu claims  he was quoted out of context on his statement about likening the Flames to Spanish giants Barcelona, known for their tiki-taka pass-and-move type of play.

The FAM president’s statement stirred controversy from some soccer followers who viewed it as an insult considering the Flames’ continued plunge in form.

“I was very surprised that my comments were taken in literal sense; there is no way the Flames can play like Barcelona.

Nyamilandu:I was quoted out of context

“I stated that the Flames’ style of play had improved significantly to the extent that the team doesn’t play kick-and-rush anymore.

“What I said was that before the coach [Ronny van Geneugden]  came, the Flames were playing the bola kunthazi [kick-and-rush] type of football. There was no style and pattern. The team [now] play a beautiful passing game and it has a tactical discipline where it knows when to freeze and pressurise opponents—that it maintains a good formation and shape during matches,” he said.

“I stressed that though the team has adopted continental type of football just like Barcelona, it is lacking aggression going forward  and it is short of goals,” he said

The FAM boss maintained that the positives that have been achieved within a year are an indication that the team is moving in the right direction under RVG.

“It is only a matter of time before we can consistently find the back of the net so that we can return to winning ways. That is what I said,” he said.

However, Capital FM Radio sports producer Madalitso Phiri, who was one of the journalists who attended the press conference, said the media quoted Nyamilandu verbatim.

“I am not sure what he means when he says he was quoted out of context because we [journalists] just reported the way it was presented and people interpreted it in different ways,” he said. n

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