A Parliamentarian wants Football Association of Malawi (FAM) to fire head coach Marian Mario Marinica and recall Meck Mwase to continue his reign with the Flames following the Malawi National Football Team’s 4-0 loss to Egypt in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at Bingu Stadium.
Lilongwe South Constituency Member of Parliament Peter Dimba demanded the firing of the Romanian tactician during a parliamentary sitting on Wednesday, saying the nation ‘doesn’t need Marinica’ even though his salary is solely paid by FAM.
“The Flames coach doesn’t get salary from here, but FAM which gets a subvention from FIFA and Malawi National Council of Sports but Sports Ministry is a policy holder in this country in as far as sports is concerned. My point I want to drive home is that we don’t need Mario Marinica. He has to go home. He has to pack and go. We don’t even know where these people got this man from. We need Meck Mwase back as Flames coach,” said Dimba in his short address to his fellow parliamentarians.
But despite the orders made by Dimba, it is very unlikely that FAM will retain the services of Mwase who was fired by the association despite taking the team to Afcon finals for the first time in almost a decade.
National teams are owned by governments, but FIFA restricts any interference from the government, with Article 17 clearly stating that each member shall manage its affairs independently and with no influence from third parties.
Countries that have fallen foul of the non-interference rule of FIFA have either been banned, or suspended for various lengths, some for a few months, while others, years, depending on how long it takes the erring country to rectify its wrong.
The Romanian, who was given a target of qualifying for both Afcon and CHAN tournaments plus winning the Cosafa Cup, has two wins in eleven matches with the team in all competitions, scoring nine goals and conceding fourteen goals.
In the Afcon qualifying campaign, he has one win, three defeats from which his team scored two goals and conceded eight goals.
Marinica came in as a Technical Director before being made an interim coach for Malawi at the 2021 Afcon finals in Cameroon where he only registered a draw against Senegal in the group stages before his side lost 2-1 to Morocco in the Round of 16.
Malawi had one win, which was registered when Mwase was in charge in the absence of the Romanian who was in isolation for Covid-19.
On Thursday, Marinica’s contract details were leaked to the public in which it was discovered that he is earning US$ 8 000 per month (equivalent to MK8 million ) from which two third of the salary is paid to his bank account in his home country.
He also gets a leave grant in the sum of US$ 4 000 (MK4 million) per annum, which is also transfered into his bank account in his home country.
Apart from the above benefits, the Romanian is given a MK150 000 for utilities and domestic costs in case of house accommodation, 350 litres of fuel per month, MK100 000 telephone allowance, a DSTV full boutique, an external allowance of US$ per day, a VIP medical insurance cover under Masm for a maximum of three people, a motor vehicle and a Life Insurance Gold Standard.
His current deal expires next week, and it is highly unlikely that FAM will extend his stay beyond this year.
The Flames are bottom of Group D with three points from four matches, with Egypt and Guinea level on points with nine points whilst Ethiopia have three points just like Marinica’s charges.
Follow us on Twitter:
