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by
George Kasakula, 05 December 2003
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14:18:29
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Be humane, Mtawali
Silver Strikers team manager Cuthbert Mtawali must learn to be humane and diplomatic in both the way he treats his players and what he says about them. Mtawali has goofed in the manner he has laid off six players namely: Jones Nkhwazi, Chingongwa Mtawali, Dyton Chizuze, Chinji Majawa, Victor Maliro and Maurice Chikalipo. Of particular concern to me are two statements Mtawali has made to the effect that there is no pension scheme in football and that Silver is not a charitable organisation to keep non-performing players. While both statements are correct, I am sure Mtawali could have said them differently so that they do not inflict emotional pain on the players who have rendered a service to the club. The words were said to the six but the other players in the club heard them as well and they know what kind of fate awaits them should their form take a dip at anytime. The effect to their morale is obvious. Mtawali has it all wrong. Maybe this is the reason why his executive seems not to support him. Mtawali can surely do without this arrogance.
Clubs a shame
It is really a shame that out of 15 Super League clubs, only three clubs: MTL Wanderers, Silver Strikers and Civo attended last week’s Football Association of Malawi extraordinary general meeting in Blantyre full time. Yet for the past two years or so Super League clubs have been making noise in the press about the apparent incompetency and sloppiness in Fam which has brought our soccer into disrepute. This was the chance to air out their concerns and chart the way forward to put things right. This apparent lack of interest is unfortunately coming at a time when Fam is preparing for an annual general meeting in Mzuzu where elections will be held. What will happen is that this lack of interest will continue. The same failures in Fam will be re-elected during the Mzuzu meeting because there will be no one to block them— God forbid. They will again start committing countless blunders, something they are adept at. We will start complaining about them once again and it will be a vicious circle. Let people with vision come out in the open to contest for positions in Fam. And they should be fast because there is a 15-day notice requirement for affiliates to nominate name for positions which the present Fam can easily use to the disadvantage of others.
Spare us this time
By the time I was writing this the Malawi Under-20 football team had just qualified for the semifinal berth against South Africa in the ongoing Vodafone Cosafa U-20 tournament after beating Madagascar 4-0. The boys went through hell during preparations for the tournament which included eating chiwaya fried chips (I do not think it can be called French fries), going to South Africa by road and enduring a five hour-delay due to a bus breakdown, among other problems. And then worst of all they went there without allowances. Despite all these problems the boys have done their best. Which is why I call upon Fam to have the decency of giving the boys their dues without delay this time and spare the usual we-have-no-money crap. We have had enough of that. After all Fam officials travel a lot and we have never heard them complaining that they went on a trip without allowances and that the association owes them so much. They get their dues. The same should happen to the boys. After all they were representing all and have done us all proud.
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