Exit Swadick Sanudi! Enter Victor Mphande!

The Malawi National Football Team, The Flames, has a new technical panel headed by Marian Mario Marinica (MMM) from Romania.

The new panel has seen Patrick Mabedi and Franco Ndawa replacing Lovemore Fazili and Bob Mpinganjira as assistant coaches while Victor Mphande has replaced long serving Swadick Sanudi as goalkeepers’ trainer.

Sanudi was Malawi’s goalkeeper from 1999 to 2011 and Bullets’ keeper up to 2005. He played in South Africa from 2005 to 2013 before going back to Bullets.

He then started training goalkeepers in 2014 at Bullets senior team and Malawi Under 16 National Team. He did his Goalkeepers Instructor’s Course in 2016 in Cameroon. He has been goalkeepers’ trainer for the Malawi National Football Team from 2017 until now when he is being replaced by Mphande.

As a player, Sanudi was known for his commanding prowess in goals and ability to pluck high dangerous balls. He holds a record of 77 caps for the Flames.

“My debut in goals for Malawi was against Zambia in 2002 and my last game was against Tunisia in 2011,” recalls Sanudi who is still the current goalkeepers’ trainer for the people’s team, Nyasa Big Bullets.

But it is now time for Victor Mphande to drill goalkeepers at the Malawi National Team with his own tactics.

Mphande, a graduate in Accounting from the Malawi College of Accountancy, was once goalkeeper for Mzuni FC and Zomba Works.

He later became trainer of goalkeepers for Mzuni FC which was then playing in the second-tier league, the northern region SIMSO Premier League. The team earned itself promotion into the TNM Super League until it was relegated.

From the relegated Mzuni FC, Mphande was hired by Karonga United for some seasons. He also did the same job with Chitipa United. He then went to Australia where he was Goalkeeping Director for Lengo Academy and as I write, he is goalkeepers’ trainer for the newly promoted super league side, Dedza Dynamos.

He was also in the technical panel for the Malawi Women’s National Football Team, The Scorchers, also as goalkeepers’ trainer in 2020 up to the semi-finals of the COSAFA Women’s Tournament.

He has managed to nurture and groom a number of goalkeepers who are currently doing well in the super league. Such goalkeepers include William Thole now with Wanderers, Rabson Chiyenda now with Bullets and Pilirani Mapila also with Mighty Mukuru Wanderers.

Now, is Mphande eligible to be in the Flames technical panel holding this role? Many will not hesitate to say yes.

Victor Mphande is a well-qualified trainer for goalkeepers in football. He first did FAM C Coaching Course before doing FIFA Basic Goalkeeping Course and later FIFA Advanced Goalkeeper’s Course.

What should Malawians expect from Mphande? He first says it is an honour to be recognised and appointed to serve the nation in that capacity.

“I praise God for this appointment. I thank the Head Coach and all those appointed in the technical panel. We are a team and our team work, as stressed by the Head Coach, is key.

“It’s not easy to earn this kind of appointment at this high level. It’s not a one person’s job. On my own I can’t fully deliver. I pray that all Malawians should support this technical panel. Let us hold hands together in unity so that we lift the Malawi flag higher together,” remarked Mphande.

Besides Accounting, Mphande also studied Theology at Zomba Theological College and Leadership and Management with Oxford University. He taught in secondary school for eight years and he hails from NkhataBay district.

Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :

Sharing is caring!