SOCIETY
Flames in Flames as
2010 Approaches
By
Patrick Bwanali
Malawi’s dream is to qualify for the World Cup tournament to be
held for the first time in the African continent in South Africa in
2010. Dreaming in colour is what we have been told more than once by
Dr. Bingu wa Mutharika, since he became the president of this country.
Before this so called ‘colour dreaming’, our ancestors had
passed on to us a proverb, which says, kulota nkukhuta, which
literally means for one to dream he must sleep with a full stomach.
Are we justified, as a country, to start dreaming of participating in
the most watched tournament in the world? Do we really see ourselves
participating in South Africa? Have we prepared enough to start dreaming
now? Shall we really see Constantine, as Flames coach, shaking hands
with Scolari (Portugal coach) and Perreira, South African coach, just
to mention a few, after games?
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Flames
team |
The
Flames’ supporters have shown their love for the national team
for a long time. Kamuzu Stadium has always been full, even during times
when a loss is obvious. Like a farmer who prepares his garden every
season, hoping it will rain one day, a Malawian supporter has faced
unending droughts of trophies. The last time Malawi had a trophy was
in 1988 when we won the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup.
But what do people say about our national team?
Many are of the view that Malawi cannot qualify unless the sport is
supported. People think that companies in the country are not showing
any interest in the game despite its popularity. Big companies, which
enjoy big profits are not giving back to the society by sponsoring football.
Listening to what people say about the poor performance of the Flames,
one gets an impression that the Football Association of Malawi (FAM)
goofed in employing Constantine in the first place. Those of this opinion
say English coaches cannot help Malawi.
‘A Brazilian coach was the best for Malawi. English league may
be good but it is coaches from other nations who are coaching the best
teams in England. Most of the players that make that league interesting
come from other countries too,” says Jamieson Kanjira, a Balaka-based
ardent supporter of Big Bullets and Chelsea Football Clubs.
The other problem is the players’ welfare. Players in the country
live on handouts. They get very little from their sweat. As a result,
players don’t play hard because they know that there is nothing
they would get at the end of it all. This has also led to many players
opting to play professional football in countries which have leagues
that are not better than the domestic ones but pay them better. This,
as a result, brings down football standards here at home.
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Constantine:
Flames' Coach |
Frank
Kandu, a sports analyst and presenter of Malawi Broadcasting Corporation
(MBC) is optimistic that Malawi can qualify. He says that as of now
the Flames have not yet started playing the qualifying matches and neither
do they know their opponents.
He cites the increase in the number of players playing professional
football as a positive sign for the Flames. Kandu bemoans that sometimes
players have been neglected like what is being alleged that till now
the Under 20 that went to South Africa in 2005 have not being paid their
dues yet.
What then could be done to bring back the lost glory of the 70s? Do
we, as a country, pull out in all competitions to start building another
team? Should we sack Constantine and employ an independent-minded coach?
The fact remains that Malawians love football. Should we, then, stop
buying products from companies that are seen not to support the game?
Unfortunately, some of these companies are monopolies. A boycott won’t
help.
Why not a fuel levy? This has worked for National Roads Authority in
the country. I believe that if the national team gets one kwacha from
every litre of fuel, it would have enough to prepare for the 2010 World
Cup. The money collected from this levy can also be used to fund Super
League teams every year so that they are saved from the embarrassment
of begging from well-wishers every time they have a game. Fuel levy
to fund sports is a cost well spent.
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© Montfort
Media, 2007 |