By Chisomo Phiri
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) President Fleetwood Haiya has urged FIFA to honour a US$40 million funding promise it made to the association as part of plans to introduce the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) programme.
The funding, which is equivalent to about K69.4 billion, was intended to support major football development projects in this country.
However, Haiya said in an interview with local media that the FFE proposal is being rejected by most European countries.
He therefore,said FAM will continue engaging FIFA to find a way of fulfilling the financial commitment, arguing that the promised funds will significantly transform football infrastructure in the country.
Haiya said FAM has already identified key projects that will benefit from the funding, including the renovation of Kamuzu Stadium(KS) in Blantyre and Mzuzu Stadium(MZ) into modern facilities capable of hosting international matches and major domestic competitions such as cup finals.
Haiya said FIFA should explore alternative ways of sourcing the money so that the US$40 million promise can still be fulfilled.
According to the FAM boss, the investment will help Malawi improve its football infrastructure, raise the standard of the game and provide facilities capable of hosting major international and domestic fixtures.
Malawi continues to face challenges relating to football infrastructure, with some of its major stadiums requiring substantial rehabilitation and modernisation to meet international standards.
Currently, the country relies on only Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe when hosting international matches and major domestic competitions such as cup finals.
