August 2021 1 | Page

FAM Monthly Newsletter - August 2021 www.fam.mw | page - 1 FAM Monthly Newsletter - August 2021 This week, Malawi reaches a football crossroads as the Flames begin their quest for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification with an away match against Cameroon in Yaoundé. This is a litmus test for out football and it will help gauge how far we have come vis-à-vis the investment of the last decade. Today, we are all praying for the Flames and rooting for a surprise in Yaoundé. FROM THE PRESIDENT That said, the association is this month celebrating milestones in the administration of the beautiful game. For a start, for this year’s Under-20 talent identification exercise, FAM changed the strategy for identifying talent to ensure players selected remain in the team for a minimum of two years. In the past we would run this exercise for three weeks before a tournament and selected players just for that particular tournament. But for this year, we targeted players that will be with the team up to 2023 for the AFCON. This new format give coach Patrick Mabedi and his panel a year and a half to work with these boys before the AFCON qualifiers next year. This new selection format, the involved select teams from all four regions ensured that we reached across the country in our quest to tap into raw talent in the remote areas. The results of which were on show when the four select teams battled it out in a round-robin tournament. Another major milestone which we celebrate this month was the launch of the FAM Under-14 League in Mulanje on August 13. We want to lay a foundation for a strong team in the future and, as an association, we believe that this can only be possible if the boys start playing organised football at a very young age such as the Under-14 league. We had an FCB Under-20 League, FAM Under-17 and Under-16 leagues and we just launched the FAM Under-23 districts leagues. The missing link was the Under-14 league. We now have a complete path for players to play organised compete football from Under-14 to Under-23 and with that we should be able to retain and nurture all available talent for the Flames. The Under-14 League is being piloted in 14 districts but will expand to all the 34 educational districts by next year. WALTER NYAMILANDU-MANDA www.fam.mw | page - 2 FAM Monthly Newsletter - August 2021 NCH U U14 LA Nyamilandu donates balls to some of the participating teams Part of the action between Kit Aid vs Mayo Academy www.fam.mw | page - 3 FAM Monthly Newsletter - August 2021 Petro SPOTLIGHT ON CHARLES PETRO ON UEFA GROUP stages DEBUT Imagine this. You’re sitting in a packed video show Then Peter Drury comes in with his poetic in Manje township Blantyre Malawi on Tuesday commentary to welcome the two teams on the September 28, 2021. night to the majestic Santiago Bernabeu for a UEFA Champions’ League Group D match All eyes of packed tiny room are glued to between record 13-time winners Real Madrid Supersport 3 channel for a UEFA Champions and group stage debutants FC Sheriff Tiraspol of League. Moldova. Its match day 2 for the competitions 2021/2022 Then comes the iconic UEFA anthem composed season by Tony Britten, a graduate of the Royal College www.fam.mw | page - 4 FAM Monthly Newsletter - August 2021 of Music, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Super League of Malawi President Tiya Somba Orchestra and sung by the Academy of Saint Banda added: “From the TNM Super League to Martin in the Fields chorus, both of which are the UEFA Champions League! Our o/wn son of based in London. the soil Charles Petro, will be responsible for man- marking the likes of Benzema, Hazard, Dzeko Goosebumps!! and Alexis Sanchez in Group D of the UCL. The boy is living the dream of many.” You sing along to the lyrics……Die Meister…. Die Besten….Les grandes équipes…The Petro’s rise to stardom has been immense. He champions!!!! has been playing football at top level for five years and has won the championship in each of And as the main camera moves across the players the seasons. lined up on the touch line you see a familiar face from the hood. A ghetto boy. Charles Petro. And Five years ago Petro was playing for Under-20 the whole room erupts in joy upon seeing their league side Kangaroo Academy before he was boy playing at the highest level of club football in snatched by Nyasa Big Bullets Reserve coach the world. Enos Chatama. So, did we say imagine? In his first season with Bullets Reserves in the Southern Region Football League Division one in No! Don’t. This will be the reality in the next few 2017, they won the title and got promoted to the weeks as Petro is set to become the first Malawi Premier Division. They won the Premier Division to play in the UEFA Champions League with FC title in 2018 but, as per club licensing rules, the Sherriff Tiraspol who qualified for the group stage team could not join the Super League as they are for the first time in their history after seeing off a reserve side for Bullets. Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 on aggregate in the last preliminary qualifying round. The following season in 2019, he was promoted to Bullets main team and then won a starting And to spice it up, the Flames international will berth when he filled up the gap left by injured have an opportunity to brush shoulders with captain John Lanjesi. He was instrumental as global football super stars like Karim Benzema, Bullets defended the league title and he was even Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, Luka Modric and Alex voted defender of the season and nominated for Sanchez after Sherriff were drawn against Real the player of the year. Madrid, Inter Milan and FC Shakatar Donetsk of Ukraine. And just like that, after one season in the Super League, he was off to Europe when he signed for In a brief interview, Petro could not hide the Sheriff in February 2020. In his first season, he excitement of playing at the top level. won the Moldovan championship which Sheriff defended in 2021. “I can’t believe it. If you imagine that just five years ago, I was playing amateur football in townships. At 20, he is already a Flames first choice centre- I can only thank God. I will hard to make use of back with 16 caps this opportunity for bigger things,’’ he said. “He will go places. He is focused disciplined and This historic moment for Malawi football has is very eager to learn. If he continues with that been celebrated by many Malawians, led by FAM attitude and with this platform, he will move soon. President Walter Nyamilandu who said: “We will “He was never the best player among his peers. be watching our very own son of the soil playing This is why at Under-20 and Under-23 he was in the Champions League. What an inspiration to always behind the perking order of Trevor Kalema many players in Malawi. We are extremely proud and Hadji Wali. But he has the heart and this why of his exploits in Europe. His experience will be he has managed to surpass them. The sky is the immense to the Flames.” limit for the boy,” said Chatama www.fam.mw | page - 5 FAM Monthly Newsletter - August 2021 FAM FOR DEFINED player pathway OPMENT Dave Sinoya is a 13-year-old from Mulanje who League in Mulanje on August 13, Nyamilandu L dreams of playing professional football in Europe. said: “We want to lay a foundation for a strong team in the future and, as an association, we DEVE His idols are Flames defender Stanly Sanudi and believe that this can only be possible if the boys Kieran Mbape from France. He dreams of one start playing organised football at a very young day donning the Mighty Wanderers jersey locally age such as the Under-14 league. while internationally, he dreams of representing the Blues of Chelsea. “We had an FCB Under-20 League, FAM Under-17 and Under-16 leagues and we just launched the Sinoya captains Kit Aid Mayo FC, which plays in FAM Under-23 district leagues. The missing link the newly launched FAM Under-14 League for was the Under-14 league. Mulanje District. “We now have a complete path for players to “My dream is to play for Wanderers, Chelsea and play organised complete football from Under-14 Flames,” Sinoya said. to Under-23 and with that we should be able to retain and nurture all available talent for the He is one of the thousands Malawian youngsters Flames. who harbour the ambition of becoming superstars. The Under-14 League is being piloted in 14 FAM President Walter Nyamilandu believes the districts but will expand to all the 34 educational only way to help release the dream of grooming districts by next year. superstars is by putting in a pathway for defining player development. Each participating district will receive a K1.5 million administration fund for the league and Speaking at the launch of the FAM Under-14 each team will receive three footballs from FAM. Sinoya (left) attempts to beat an opponent www.fam.mw | page - 6 FAM Monthly Newsletter - August 2021 EST T EFEREES R Referees pose for a group photo Referees during the test www.fam.mw | page - 7 FAM Monthly Newsletter - August 2021 FAM URGES ELITE REFEREES to BE PRINCIPLED Football Association of Malawi has urged elite referees to exercise the highest level of integrity if they are to develop their careers.

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