…says Meke Mwase should have competed with other coaches…
Veteran football commentator Steve Liwewe Banda says Football Association of Malawi (FAM) made a big mistake by handpicking Meke Mwase for the Flames job without proper interviews.
The FA employed Mwase on a full time basis after he impressed during the just ended Cosafa Cup in South Africa.
However, the decision to handpick him without interviews has been faulted by Liwewe Banda who said Mwase should have competed against other coaches who applied for the position.
Speaking during MBC’s midweek sport on Wednesday, the veteran football commentator said the FA should have leveled the ground to allow fair competition between the applicants.
“I am not against Mwase but I am faulting the way he was employed by the FA. FAM should have allowed the coach to compete against other applicants through proper interviews not just handpicking him.”
“We had several experienced applicants who were vying for the position and it could have been fair for the FA to interview every coach who applied before handpicking Mwase and this is the same mistake they made with Ernest Mtawali so this tendency should end. Let people compete with each other through interviews and choose the best amongst them,” he said.
His counterpart Hastings Manda was quick to counter-argue saying Mwase deserved the position since he performed well since taking over from Ronny Van Geneugden whose contract was not renewed by the country’s soccer governing body.
“He deserved the position since he impressed. For the first time, we saw Malawi playing with intent and scored more goals, finishing the tournament as the highest scoring team so the FA was right to offer him a permanent position,” he explained.
Mwase signed a one year deal with Malawi government through the FA and has since maintained the backroom staff he worked with at the tournament in Durban.
The former TN Stars and Mbambane Swallows mentor registered three wins, three draws and two defeats in his first matches with the Flames in all competitions.
His ultimate test will be Malawi’s 2022 World Cup qualification campaign which kicks off in August this year.
