FAM meets Parliamentary Committee to discuss national football and funding challenges

The Parliamentary Committee on Social and Community Affairs, led by Chairperson Savel Kafwafwa, held an engagement on Tuesday with the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) at its headquarters in Chiwembe, Blantyre.

The meeting aimed to address concerns about the Malawi national football team’s performance and explore solutions to funding challenges that impact football development in Malawi.

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During the session, FAM President Fleetwood Haiya, accompanied by senior management, outlined the pressing challenges facing the association.

Chief among these was the issue of inadequate funding, which he said has a significant effect on the national team’s performance as well as FAM’s developmental programs.

“This meeting has allowed us to share our challenges openly. We believe that by engaging with this committee, we can channel our concerns to the government more effectively. The national teams—whether it’s beach soccer, the National Women’s Football League, the youth teams, or the men’s senior team—are government property. Therefore, we need government commitment to ensure their success,” said Haiya.

Haiya made a compelling case for a dedicated budget line within the Sports Council’s budget to support FAM’s initiatives.

Increased funding, he argued, would allow for better planning and more efficient resource allocation, ultimately benefiting the performance of national teams.

“We have also taken another path of asking FIFA, our mother body, to also increase the national team support. Currently, we do get $250,000 for the support of the national team, which is $50,000 going to equipment support and the $20,000 to travel support. We believe that with our request to FIFA, the chances are very likely that they may go up, maybe from $250,000 to $500,000. But as you are aware, our main issue is to do with maybe travelling,” he added.

The Parliamentary Committee’s Chairperson Kafwafwa echoed the committee’s support for FAM’s initiatives and praised the dedication of the new FAM administration, especially President Haiya’s decision to donate his salary to football development.

“The FAM president’s decision to contribute his own salary for football growth shows deep commitment. However, we are concerned that funding from the government’s main account has been declining since 2021, which impacts FAM’s work. We are committed to engaging the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Council of Sports to find sustainable solutions,” said Kafwafwa.

Both FAM and the parliamentary committee concluded the meeting with a pledge to work collaboratively to secure long-term support for Malawian football.

With the committee planning to advocate for increased government funding, there is renewed optimism for the future of Malawi’s national football teams and their development programs.