BY DRAXON MALOYA.
(News of The South) -It was news around the world and Africa in particular which brought about huge excitement to all the Catholic faithful in 1989 when it was announced that Pope John Paul ii was making a visit to Malawi.
Even a young boy or girl at that time could not be amused to see pedestrians and vehicles loaded with people from all corners of the country and the sub-Saharan region as whole trekking to N’jamba Freedom Park in Blantyre to see the father of the church.
Almost everyone, young and old wanted to see the global leader of the Catholic Church and that included the then president of this great republic, His Excellency the Life President Ngwazi Dr H Kamuzu Banda the Destroyer of Federation (DOF).
Similarly, the football fraternity in the country woke up with excitement on Wednesday when it was announced that president of the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA), Gianni Infantino will be visiting the country from Tuesday, 27th November 2019.
Every soccer enthusiast would try as much as possible to see and know what has really enticed the world’s soccer governing president to visit the country.
It is a well-known fact that FIFA has a number of projects which are still under construction in some major cities of the country.
Mzuzu has the Luwinga Technical Development Center which is expected to be completed next year with all the facilities including the artificial turf on the playing surface just like the way it is with the giant, Kamuzu and Chiwembe stadia.
On 14th December this year the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) shall go to the polls where they will elect office bearers in the executive committee, and it is a well-known fact that leaders of the association shall take an initiative of sharing notes on how best their ambitious plans can receive assistance from the visiting FIFA president.
Given time the FAM first vice president, James Mwenda is likely to try sharing part of the content in his manifesto dubbed ‘Revival of Malawi Football’ which some observers say has very little to do with youth football development programs.
During his tenure of office at the helm of Malawi football as president, Walter Macmillan Nyamilandu shall always be proud of making sure to have hosted both the FIFA presidents namely Joseph Blatter and Gianni Infantino a move which have paid visible dividends to the nation.
Looking at his ambitious manifesto which has a full package for grass root football development programs, Nyamilandu who is a marketer by profession is likely to sell his new football agenda to the visiting world football leader to the fulfilment of his manifesto ‘Raising the Bar’ which has been talk of the town since the day it was unveiled.
After a FIFA Congress in Paris, France mid this year, Infantino promised one of the delegates from Malawi, Orthaniel Hara who told this reporter that he had already promise the FAM president that he will find space on his program to visit Malawi before the end of this year.
“He told me that he had already promised the president (Nyamilandu) that he will find space on his tight schedule to visit Malawi so as to appreciate some of the football development programs our FA has implemented for some time now” Hara said.
The football Association of Malawi is yet to come up with a full detailed program for the visiting world football governing body, President Gianni Infantino.
Comments
About Author
