Industrial Court Slashes Mabedi’s MK916 Million Demand to MK53 Million

The Industrial Relations Court (IRC) has dramatically cut former Flames coach Patrick Mabedi’s unfair dismissal compensation demand from a staggering MK916 million to MK53.6 million in a ruling that deals a major blow to the ex-coach’s claim against the Football Association of Malawi (FAM).

In the ruling delivered on May 25, 2026, Deputy Chairperson Whyson Nkhata ordered FAM to pay Mabedi MK53,686,500 as damages for unfair dismissal.

“The Respondent is directed to pay the total sum of MK53,686,500.00 to the Applicant within seven days from the date of ruling. Any party aggrieved by this decision has the right to appeal to the High Court within thirty days from the date hereof,” reads part of the judgement.

The award represents a massive reduction from the MK916 million Mabedi had initially demanded after his controversial dismissal in October 2024.

Mabedi was fired just 11 months into his two-year contract following poor results and allegations that he had failed to meet performance targets set by FAM.

His lawyer, David Kanyenda, confirmed the ruling on Monday but said further details would be released later.

The judgement is likely to trigger fresh debate within Malawi’s football circles, with many questioning the scale of the original MK916 million claim compared to the final amount awarded by the court.

While the court agreed that the dismissal was unfair, the ruling effectively rejected the bulk of Mabedi’s compensation demands, trimming the claim by more than MK860 million.

FAM is yet to publicly comment on the judgement or indicate whether it intends to appeal.