Embattled Malawi senior national football team coach Patrick Mabedi has been sacked, the country’s soccer governing body, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has announced.
In a statement, FAM has terminated Mabedi’s contract as the Malawi national team which is also known as the Flames with immediate effect.
Under Mabedi as a coach, the Malawi Senior football team has been performing very badly and unsatisfying that they failed to win a single match in the qualifying matches of The Africa Cup of Nations, commonly abbreviated as AFCON and officially known as the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons, thereby earning a zero point.
Afcon is the main biennial international men’s association football competition in Africa.
“This is in line with resolutions of the FAM Emergency Committee held on 28th October 2024.
“The decision is based on the recommendations from the Technical Committee following the dismal performance of the Flames and subsequent failure to qualify for the Total Energies AFCON 2025,” reads in part FAM’s statement.
Many people in football circles have received the news of Mabedi’s sacking with expectancy and excitement.
“Mabedi needed to be sacked before he was hired. He is a clueless coach,” James Mandaawiri Nkhonjera from Chilobwe in Blantyre told Gazette Online.
A Flames football fanatic, Moses Kaphiri, a resident of Area 49, Shire said: “Mabedi’s sacking is good riddance to bad rubbish.
“With him, Malawi football couldn’t go forward.”
However, FAM has assured all its stakeholders that it will ensure a seamless continuity in the Flames’ undertakings in the various competitions.
Further reads the statement: “FAM will be putting together a temporary technical panel that will lead the team into the next assignments until a substantive replacement is identified.”
Therefore, FAM highlighted the need for the stakeholders and the public to keep on rallying behind the Flames and to continue supporting the country’s national team.
FAM has also registered its gratitude to Mabedi, former Flames defender and captain for his contribution during the time he served as Flames’ Coach wishing the tactician all the best in his future endeavors.
Patrick Mabedi was also fired from his role as assistant manager of the South Africa’s soccer outfit Black Leopards in September 2019.
Born November 5th, 1973 the former Bullets captain and full back, was also fired in 2018 by Kaiser Chiefs having been hired as a caretaker coach.
“Good riddance to bad rubbish.”
Moses Kaphiri
Flames Football fanatic
