The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) President Fleetwood Haiya has advised football coaches in the country to avoid turning themselves into beggars, saying this would question their credibility.
He said this during the closing ceremony of the second module of the CAF B Coaching Licensing Course at Mpira Village in Blantyre on Wednesday afternoon.
“Discipline is paramount. I have also advised the coaches to be role models for the young generation aspiring to become coaches in the future. I have also advised them against the tendency of begging. Coaches shouldn’t turn themselves into beggars because this will question their credibility,” he said.
He also announced that FAM will set a minimum mandatory requirement of a CAF B Coaching License for all 16 teams playing in the National Division League that will roll into action next year.
“As we always say, the first step of transforming the game is to equip those that run the game with knowledge, and these coaches run the game. I am very happy to see three women as part of the participants. I am promising them that they will not struggle to find jobs because FAM has set a minimum of a CAF B coaching license as a requirement for all the 16 teams taking part in the first-ever National Division that will roll into action next year,” he explained.
The FAM boss also advised the coaches to take full ownership of the National Football Coaches Association by paying their affiliation fee, saying failure to do so would see the country’s soccer governing body not recognising non-members
“As FAM, we have to make it clear that we will only recognise coaches that have paid their membership fee to the National Football Coaches Association. Failure to do this will make the body not recognise the non-paid members. So I am urging all of you to pay the membership fee so that you take full ownership of your association,” he added.
Haiya also revealed plans to develop the CAF A Coaching Course syllabus so that the association would be able to conduct the course.
“It’s very important for FAM to develop a syllabus for a CAF A course. As an association, we already have a strategic plan, and I have also been told by the Coaches Association that they will unveil a strategic plan during their AGM, which will align with FAM’s strategic plan. This is a very good move that will allow us to develop our syllabus for the CAF A Coaching Licensing Course so that we would be able to conduct them on our own the way we have done with CAF B. Once we come up with the syllabus, we will write CAF for their approval so that we move with time and develop as many coaches as we can,” he explained.
On his part, NFCA Chairperson Aubrey Nankhuni hailed FAM for hosting the course.
“This is a welcome development because coaches are key stakeholders in the game of football, and if they are equipped with this knowledge, our game will be completely transformed. In line with FAM’s strategic plan, we are unveiling ours at the AGM, where we will come up with plans that will help to develop more coaches and improve the game. This course has come at the right time, and we are very grateful to FAM for this,” he explained.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Dida Zingwangwa, who coaches Zingwangwa United, said the course has been an eye-opener.
“This course has opened our eyes, and we are going to benefit a lot. We have learnt how to analyse an opponent before any game, analysing our training sessions and our games. We have also been taught how to handle pre-match and post-match interviews. This knowledge that we have gained will help not only us but also players and the nation at large,” he said.
The course has three modules. The participants have already undergone two modules, which took the coaches through the technical and tactical aspects of the game, the laws of the game, and sports medicine.
The final module will see them cover technical and tactical planning before completing the course in December next month.
The coaches are being trained by Captain John Kaputa (Retired) and FAM Technical Director Benjamin Kumwenda alongside Maxwell Mtonga.
Some of the notable coaches are Heston Munthali, Jimmy Zakazaka, Joseph Kamwendo, Davie Mpima Jnr, McDonald Yobe, Andrew Chikhosi, Chancy Nsema, Linda Kasenda, Isaac ‘Jomo’ Osman and many more.
The course, which started on 26th August, attracted 25 participants, but unfortunately, one of them, Gift Mkamanga, was found dead in his room.
