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It may never rain for the Football Association of Malawi (Fam). The association was on Wednesday caught up in a financial fix as owners of Capital City Motel locked the rooms occupied by national team players and officials before detaining the Fam bus being used by the Flames in their preparations for Saturday’s World Cup match against Ethiopia.
The drama started at around noon when motel workers refused to surrender room keys as the team went for a lunch hour recess.
After discussions between the Flames’ officials and owners of the motel, the boys, looking tired after the morning training session, were allowed into their rooms. They were also provided with their lunch.
But during the afternoon training session, the owner of the motel McNofas Tambala ordered his guards to get hold of the Flames’ minibus keys. The bus was detained, leaving players and officials stranded.
During the ordeal some players were overhead castigating Fam officials: “These people (Fam) are just squandering money”.
After consultations between Flames’ officials, Fam and Sports Council, the latter sacrificed its Toyota Litese registration number 28 SC 3 used by Kamuzu Institute for Sports for the Flames’ bus. The motel accepted the council vehicle and released the Fam bus.
Commenting on the team’s nightmares, team manager John Kaputa described the situation as unhealthy for the team’s preparations.
“This is very unhealthy considering we are just a few days before the game. It may have a negative effect on the players. Players are not administrators and I don’t think they should be subjected to such torture. The motel could have understood this,” said a worried Kaputa.
Fam’s acting spokesman George Kaudza Masina said: “It’s unfortunate that things reached such an extent.
“As Malawians we have to be patriotic and support our team. We discussed with the motel, hours before sending the team and we assured them that they would be paid. We will definitely pay them and I have already been tipped that government has provided something,” said Masina.
But a receptionist at the motel, Rodrick Tchale said the motel was forced to take the action because of the cunning behaviour of Fam.
“These people (Fam) are cunning. They already owe us K191, 000 from last year’s camping. This time they are supposed to pay us K752, 844 and it was agreed with our management that they would pay at least half the amount by yesterday (Tuesday). When we discussed with them yesterday, they were just telling us stories.
“They only paid K30, 000 which was just peanuts considering what we have spent on them for the past two weeks. We got scared that they might run away after the game on Saturday. That’s why we have got hold of the bus. They will get the bus after making the payment,” said Tchale.
Tchale wondered why it was only Fam giving them problems when clubs like MTL Wanderers, which camped at the motel for the BP Top 8 final, were able to settle everything.
Meanwhile, the Flames’ defence pillar Patrick ‘General’ Mabedi, who was supposed to arrive alongside South Africa-based colleague John Maduka missed Wednesday’s flight and is expected in on Thursday.
According to Kaputa, Mabedi was on the plane’s waiting list and was told he could not fly because the plane was full. Maduka jetted in on Wednesday afternoon.
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