Coach Mtawali rejects being pauper, sues Football Association of Malawi for defamation
Former Flames coach Ernest Mtawali has sued Football Association of Malawi (FAM) alongside its vice-president and technical sub-committee chairperson James Mwenda for defamation of character.
Court documents show Mtawali is claiming general and special damages for libel and slander.
The former coach claims that Mwenda protaryed him as a pauper and a man of no means.
Mtawali through lawyers Ritz Attorneys at Law argue that a report about his sacking was damaging , citing this in part: “Going through the privy of the report by the technical committee of FAM, it is clear why the national football team is only a shadow of itself with nothing to point as evidence of the slightest achievement…it makes unbelievable revelations of the dirt that happens behind the scenes. The dirt is so filthy that not even the garbage man would lift into his van.
“There are allegations [that] the head coach has been spotted on drinking outings and sharing cigarettes with players while on national duty as recent as the Cosafa Namibia task…The coach is also accused of relating well to other players at the exclusion of others and borrowing money from players, a behaviour that led to fallout with some two players.”
Mtawali claims that the said words in their natural and ordinary meaning meant that he is incompetent and does not have any skills as a football coach.
Mwenda and FAM are first and second defendants respectively.
During his tenure in which Malawi were booted out of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, 2018 World Cup and 2016 Cosafa Cup, the Flames played 15 games—won five, lost six and drew four.
Mtawali’s Flames beat Tanzania, Sudan, Djibouti, Angola and Mauritius. The team drew against Swaziland, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Namibia and the six losses were against Tanzania, South Sudan, Uganda, Guinea, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.
However, analyst Charles Nyirenda observed that firing Mtawali was not a solution to the dwindling standards of the sport in the country.
“In my opinion, it is how much support we gave the coach that we should be looking at here. Did he get the support he needed to bring the desired results? That is the question,” he said.
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FAM leadership is too mediocre to run football affairs in present time. What kind of people who expect success without investment? Even if they hire Ferguson , Flames can not improve with those people running football. Vuto lolemba anthu ntchito chifukwa chowamvera chisoni.
Malawi sizathekanso.All we know is blame game
It takes a pauper to employ a pauper. How many good coaches have we had in Malawi? Mtawali is not our problem. FAM and government are our biggest problems. I agree with Youna, football has changed over the recent years. Look at Iceland and their handling of England. FAM is rotten, our government is non existent and my good friend Mwenda oooooooo what have you done to yourself? You cant be fighting people like Ernest when we all know your means. Sorry that was #%$
I have loved Mtawali’s approach to modern football. Koma anachotsedwa coz of lack of visionary leadership ku FAM. Most pple ku FAM still think football of the 90s will take Flames somewhere. Wrong!
They deserve to be sued because talked they too much garbage against the son of Malawi who brought so smile in their faces during his heydays. They lacked decorum in their approach
I salute you Mtawali. How can such language be allowed in an official documen t.