Former Malawi national team coach Kinnah Phiri says local coaches are highly qualified than many of the foreign tacticians Football Association of Malawi (FAM) hires.
The Malawian football legend who took the Flames to their most recent African Cup of Nations tournament in 2010 told Malawi24 on Saturday that there are many Malawian coaches who are more qualified and have more experience than expatriates.
Speaking in Mzuzu where he was watching the National Cross Country championship, Phiri lambasted the hiring of expatriate coaches saying Malawians look down on themselves.
“The problem we have with FAM is that they differentiate between a black person and a white person.
“But when you look at the qualified coaches in Malawi and the achievements they have made in Malawi and compare with the people we have fetched from somewhere to come and help us, you will find that 10 or 11 coaches in Malawi are better than the foreign coach,” he said.
He added that football in Malawi will never develop if FAM continues to hire foreign coaches who have lower qualifications than Malawian tacticians.
“Now we have our people who are highly qualified and we pick people who are less qualified and we expect the football to develop, it will not develop,” said Phiri
On whether he would accept the Flames job if offered, Phiri said he would be happy to help the Malawi national team.
He then expressed concern over the style of football Malawian players are taught by their coaches saying players play more back passes which is why Malawi national football team fails to score in many of its games.
“The coaches tell players to defend properly, play it safe. Now how many times are you going to play it safe and not score? Let’s not blame players for goal droughts but coaches should be positive in their approach to the game,” he said.
Phiri who holds CAF A and Uefa licences took charge of the Flames in 2008, taking them to the Afcon in 2010 for the first time in 25 years.
He was however sacked in 2013 following a string of poor performances that saw the Flames failing to qualify for the 2014 Afcon, failing to go past the quarterfinal stage of the Cecafa Senior Challenge and plunging to 111 on FIFA rankings.
Current national team coach Ronny Van Geneugden was hired in 2017 and has only managed two wins in 11 games.
On the latest FIFA rankings released last week, the Flames are on position 124.
Nkhani yaikulu ikukulamndi sankho. Bwana kinna kumbali yake adayesesa chifukwa pa zaja 25 kupitako kamodzi simasewera. Mabwana ali ku FAM akufuna munthu wakumtima kwawo osati chifukwa chodziwa ntchito ayi. Ndi ndalama zingati boma likuononga popereka ku coach wakunja? Koma poti kinna adali M’malawi nzathu nde nsanje kuti akurandira ndalama zambiri timchotse. Si izo mwaziona kusewera ka khumi ndi kamodzi kuwinako kawiri kokha.
KAPE UYU ZINAMUKANIKA NTHAWI YAKE…RVG is a better coach than all our coaches we had since your departure
I concur with the Special 1 Phiri on the hiring of foreign coaches. They havent been helping and will not coz we come from a different world all together. The Foreign coaches’ approach to the game is far much different from ours which cant help alittle bit. Our own sons (coaches) knows our game inside out that’s why FAM must not give the reign to foreign coaches just because they are speaking English. Iyaa
am agree with u mr kinna ,,,ndikale lija munatitengela ku africa cup of nation,,,,FAM is bunch of idiots
This z true
Bodzatu Kinnah iri. Okey! we have highly qualified coaches, but they are not good in football and this is why we employ underqualified coaches outside malawi but they know what to do with football.
True! But our players need to do something also … its about them not coaches only. The current coach once said what we play in Malawi is not Football but Tenis… its true wanganya
I beg to disagree no local coach can stand up and say am gud …malawians which football can make these local coaches gud which football akhungu alondolerana bwanji njira. nkhani ndiyakut tikafuna coach wa kunja timakatenga very cheap ones abwino mkuwasiya …ine.ndikut mpira wakumalawi sungatulutse coach wabwino sure amene mukut TRUE simukuganiza ayii cameroon nigeria senegal south africa egypt morocco these countries know football much much better than us koma they have foreign coaches …tisamanamizane apa mango sangabeleke orange our football is poor and it cannot produce gud coaches
Sakunama
Big problem is the players, even if you can hire Arsenal Wenger or Sir Alex Fergson this bunch of loses will never change. Kinna, Osman, Jack, Chimodzi, Matthews Mwenda, Mtawali, Ng’onamo, just mention afews, wht did the achieve in Malawian football?
am agree with you, even kutabwera pep gardiola or morinho palibe chingasinthe vuto tiribe ma prayer abwino eg muhamad salah, mane etc
we malawians we dont believe in ourselves ….
And that’s why he failed in Tanzania
Zoona than zinazi ok
koma vuto lalikulu kwambili pano pa Malawi kumbali ya mpira ndiyakuti league yathu ndi yofooka kotelo kuti izi ndizimene zikupangaso affect National team yathu
i dnt blame coachies.i thnk our plyrs r de ones whu hav prblm.
I respect Kinnah as the best coach in Malawi
Bodzatu ili lankunkhuniza ngati ma coach anthu alibwino nanga nchifukwaninji ma team anthu akapita kukasewela kunja ndima club akunja sizikumawaendela mpaka akumakabwelako ndi mitibu ya dzigoli kutibulibwa mochititsa manyazi ndie wina nkumati our coaches are good kuwaseka kapena kunyogodola?kkkkk
Ndye Iweyo Uktsutsa Chan? Kod Matmuwo Omwetmaluzanao Makoch Amakhala Kt Ndamdzko Momwemo.
Iweyo ukaonapo chani?ndima team angati mdziko muno amene ali ndima coach akunja?don’t you C wekha???
yes I agree with kinna man,,chimodzi during his tym he won a plate,,and Kinnah phiri took the Team to AFCON, ,tell me one achievement that was done by these you called expatriates coaches
Ndieno how many coaches in Malawi amene anapangaka mbiri chifukwa tikaonetsetsa pama local coaches athu ndi kinnah phiri ekhayu anapangako mbiri panoposo ndi uyu dzikumuvuta akapita kunja contract yake ikumakathela panjira kaamba ka pour performance ndie wina nkumati ai ndikugwitlrazana nae kunnah za historical zitaeni guys tieni tione zapano
Tru sirKina
That’s true, the problem is FAM do not respect local coaches
zoona kinnar sukunama mzungu palibe chomwe akuchita
Thats true, we have been wasting our money in football by employing foreign coaches but I have never seen any positive results in our Nation team!
I strongly agree with him
Phiri kungoti mukufuna mubwereso. Munayilephera kale ntchito ya coaching national team.