Failure by Football Association of Malawi (FAM) to acquire Flames new kit and replicas in time for Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament which begins in the next 72 hours in Cameroun has demonstrated how clueless the marketing department is at the Association.
This has reflected poor planning, which is usually associated with national assignments, by leaders who seemingly had no clue of what it means to occupy positions of authority.
The Flames qualified for Afcon finals in March and we expected FAM to start planning for the delayed tournament to avoid last minute hitches which would put everything in tartars.
However, with days to go before Malawi’s first game at the tournament, FAM through its Communications Department released a statement in which it announced a delay in receiving the new kit and replicas, pinning the blame on Covid-19 pandemic, saying the country’s soccer governing body ‘is facing considerable delays with delivery of the consignments due to a backlog of shipments overseas arising from Covid-19 complications’.
But in all honesty, FAM is just trying to cover for someone’s failure and it is absolutely pathetic for the Association to be blaming the pandemic when Malawi’s qualification was sealed ten months ago.
To make matters worse, FAM, during the fundraising dinner organised by the State House, failed to hit the jackpot when the whole Association went to the event with just a picture frame of what was to be the new kit and the new replicas.
We all know that during those events, it’s easy to sell since every individual or organizations would want to associate with the President and FAM would have made a lot from the sales but it was just a picture frame with no substance.
And with just hours remaining, the team still has no kit and the fans will keep on waiting for the replicas to arrive before Monday’s fixture against Guinea.
It is yet another embarrassment for the beleaguered Association, two weeks after a local newspaper reported about cracks in Flames camp as players and the interim coach Marian Mario Marinica were at loggerheads over his training methods.
Without beating about the bush, FAM has let the national down. This is not about the pandemic but rather, failure to plan by someone who was hired to occupy the marketing department.
It will be total shame if the team uses an old jersey when the nation was told by the Association of a new kit which is yet to arrive in Cameroun. FAM Slept.
