By Duncan Mlanjira
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu has finally come out in the open that he shall seek re-election at the forthcoming annual general meeting on December 20, saying he has unfinished business as he has just recently been elected as a member of the FIFA Council.
He says time has now come for the entire Malawi football fraternity to reap the fruits of his appointment as a member of the world football governing body.
New cup he has secured at K90 million
“Under the circumstances, it is only logical that while I am serving as a member of the FIFA Council, my stay in office as the President of FAM should simultaneously run together so that the country can fully maximize the benefits of my membership to this supreme body.
“It is also paramount to mention that in the unlikely event of not being FAM President, it would water down the relevance of being a FIFA Council member by virtue of not having a constituency to represent.
“The result of which is that you lose bargaining power that would have been instrumental in influencing and shaping the development of football at all levels.
Nyamilandu presents car to APAM realized
from the Ecobank Charity Cup
“By sitting on the board of FIFA, it is always important to be well versed with local insights as well as challenges being faced on the ground so that you can ably represent the interests of your constituency and effectively lobby for policy decisions that will positively impact the game of football at the bottom of the value chain.
“Notwithstanding the aforementioned, I also would to like to state that I am compelled to seek re-election to embark on new transformational projects as well as to complete some of the unfinished milestones from ‘Harvest Time’.
“I am in a better and stronger position than ever to undertake projects of this nature while serving as a member of the FIFA Council drawing from the new connections that have been carved on the international platform.
FAM hosted a FIFA meeting this year
“Not to mention the vast experience and knowledge gained while serving as FAM President, which puts me in good stead to transform the game of football in Malawi and take it to a new level.”
Nyamilandu also said his decision to seek re-election has been highly motivated by the need to respond positively to the call of FAM affiliates having extensively consulted with the individual members in the past few months.
“I have received overwhelming support and encouragement by members of the affiliates to stand again owing to the remarkable achievements that have been realized while I have been at the helm of office.
“I, therefore, cannot ignore the affiliates who have shown significant trust and confidence in me as the best candidate.
“In this regard, I earnestly seek your support for the continued growth and development of Malawi football while I work towards raising the bar to be amongst the best in Africa and beyond,” says Nyamilandu in his statement.