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| Sports |
| Drama at Fam meeting |
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by
Leonard Sharra, 26 July 2004
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11:28:24
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The Lilongwe Technical College hall, venue for Saturday’s Football Association of Malawi (Fam) Extra-Ordinary General Meeting (EGM) turned into a theatre as affiliates took Fam’s legal advisors to task after the lawyers had indicated the meeting’s agenda could not be changed as per the Fam constitution.
Lawyers Maxwell Tembo and George Bakuwa had it tough, explaining and interpreting sections in the Fam handbook but the affiliates could not take it.
They walked out when the Fam executive advised the lawyers to proceed with the only agenda which was to amend article 30.4 of the statutes.
Before Tembo could take to the podium, general secretary for the Central Region Football League (CRFL) Paul Mzungu rose on a point of order, demanding that the meeting agenda be changed to include items laid down on a petition prepared by affiliates from the Centre and endorsed by the other affiliates.
Through the petition, affiliates demanded that the agenda of the meeting be changed to include amendment of other sections in the constitution.
But Tembo told the affiliates it could not be possible to change the agenda since section 26.6 of the Fam constitution barred the general assembly from changing the agenda.
But members argued that the petition could be included on the agenda, quoting other sections in the handbook but the lawyers ruled them out of order.
Seeing things were not going in their favour, members from the Centre asked for a ten-minute recess but the presiding officials turned down the request after consultations with the executive.
Not satisfied with the proceedings, the Centre insisted for the recess, forcing Fam acting president Anderson Zimba to allow them to go out on condition that the proceedings would go on.
“The members from the centre can go out but will continue with our deliberations,” declared Zimba.
The declaration appeared to have put off the regional affiliates but Southern Region Football Committee (SRFC) member Raphael Humba, who was disqualified from the Fam executive after failing to produce his MSCE certificate, asked that affiliates from the South also be allowed to go for a recess.
Before Fam could find a response to Humba’s demand, the affiliates started walking out, bringing the meeting to a halt.
Outside the hall, members from the Centre rose against their leaders Fr Augustine Machumbuza of CRFL and Charles Kapichi of Central Region Football League (CRFL), who moved that the assembly adhere to the constitution.
Serious differences arose among the affiliates and after a wasted one hour some affiliates walked back into the hall
But members from National Referees Association, the Super League of Malawi (Sulom) and a few others remained outside.
To Fam executive’s advantage, those who went back formed a quorum and the meeting resumed with the only item on agenda.
During the deliberations, members strongly objected to the removal of MSCE as a requirement for those holding positions in Fam. This and the sections that politicians should not be allowed to contest for executive positions and that aspirants should have five years experience in active association football were retained.
Members also supported the proposal by Fifa that the wording of section 30.4 (c) be changed to read “Candidates aspiring for Fam executive positions shall posses a minimum of MSCE….”
Previously the section read that executive committee members of Fam shall posses a minimum of MSCE.
Fam general secretary Roosevelt Mpinganjira announced after the meeting that the amendments would come into effect after 30 days. He also announced that elections for the three vacant positions should be held within the 30 days.
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