Football Association of Malawi (FAM) President Walter Nyamilandu says he is not affiliated to any political party but his association works with the government of the day.
He was responding to the sentiments made by the newly appointed Sports Minister Ulemu Msungama who accused the FA boss of being politically compromised by associating himself with the former governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
According to the Weekend Nation, Msungama has advised the FA boss to resign from his position as he is not fit to run the association for using his powers to advance his personal interests.
“What I would say is that tisavutike kuwongola chinthu chopindika. I do not hate Walter personally, but then constitutionally, Fifa and FAM do not allow its members to be actively involved in politics.
“But we saw images of him (Nyamilandu) in political attire circulating on social media which does not augur well with his position.
“I am a straightforward person who calls a spade by its name. I was interested that being an intellectual, how could he use his powers to advance his personal interests? I looked at it that he is not fit to be FA president,” he told the Weekend Nation newspaper.
However, Nyamilandu, who is also a Fifa Council member, said his association serve the government of the day.
“As FAM, we serve government of the day. This remains our commitment and call to duty to the new government. We are apolitical and shall always remain as such as part of our corporate governance principles.”
“I am a professional and not a politician. I don’t hold any political positions in any party and neither have I rendered support to any political party.”
“I implore the honourable minister not to judge or be prejudiced because he will be misled by propaganda,” he was quoted by the same paper.
Nyamilandu has since pledged to work with the new minister, saying he will not stand in his way to discharge his ministerial duties.
Earlier last year, the FA boss was pictured in a DPP beret and later dismissed the allegations that he was a Cadet by saying he only wore the beret because he liked the way it was designed.
And in the run up to June’s elections, Msungama attacked Nyamilandu on his Facebook account, accusing him of trying to rig the elections in favor of the then ruling DPP.
“Walter Nyamilandu mpira unakukanikani, pano muli busy kufuna kubera zusankho. Usavutike chili chonse ukupanga tikudziwa (Walter Nyamilandu you have failed to run football and now you want to rig the elections. We know everything you are doing),” read his Facebook post.
The two are likely to meet to map the way forward for the football resumption in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
