Chatama set for Botswana return after Cosafa touchline chaos

• FAM scrambles to explain bizarre mid-match removal of U-20 coach over a licence the association says he doesn’t even need

Malawi’s Football Association has been forced into damage control after their own Under-20 coach was sensationally ordered off the touchline moments before kick-off — in a bizarre licensing mix-up the association blames entirely on a communication breakdown between football’s African governing bodies.

Enos Chatama was pulled from the technical bench just before Malawi’s opening Cosafa 2026 Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Zambia on Friday — a shambolic scene that left assistant coach Mapopa Msukwa scrambling to take charge as Malawi crashed to a 2-0 defeat.

The extraordinary removal came on direct orders from Cosafa executive director Sue Destombes, who cited a rule requiring every national team head coach to hold a CAF A coaching licence — a qualification Chatama does not have.

But the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) insists the whole saga should never have happened in the first place.

FAM media and communications officer Collins Nsunza revealed the association had a valid contract in place with Chatama all along — and had informed the Confederation of African Football (CAF) of the arrangement well before the tournament even began.

“Caf wants every national team coach to have a Caf licence, which our coach Enos Chatama does not have. But Caf communicated that even though Caf A is mandatory, there are some coaches who already have existing contracts with associations,” Nsunza explained.

The real problem, he said, was a simple breakdown in paperwork — with confirmation of Chatama’s contract apparently never reaching Cosafa from CAF in time.

“I think the communication that Chatama still has a contract with Fam was not sent to Cosafa by Caf. We tried to sort it out, but it was too late because the game had already started,” Nsunza admitted.

The farcical episode couldn’t have come at a worse moment, disrupting preparations on the very day Malawi’s young stars were already toiling — and ultimately slumping to a disappointing defeat in their opening fixture.

Despite the chaos, Nsunza moved quickly to reassure furious supporters that the matter has now been fully resolved, insisting Chatama will be back where he belongs for Malawi’s next match.

“Enos will be on the technical bench in our next game against Botswana because we have sorted out the issue,” he said.

Malawi, sitting in Group B of the tournament, now turn their focus to recovery, facing Botswana tomorrow and Comoros on Wednesday, as they look to bounce back into winning ways.