Newly elected Football Association of Malawi (Fam) President Fleetwood Haiya has said he discussed several issues with Fifa President Gianni Infantino during their meeting in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
The meeting comes after Haiya took over the presidency from Walter Nyamilandu, who he defeated 23-13 at Fam’s Elective General Meeting in Mzuzu on Saturday.
Haiya said they discussed issues concerning infrastructure improvement and development.
“We do not have proper infrastructure in Malawi and this is one of the key areas that we have to look into. We need to have proper infrastructure so that we give a good platform to our players. Most of the infrastructure in Malawi is owned by the government and this makes it the biggest player in our game,’’ he said.
Haiya said they also discussed capacity building and technical support to take Malawi football to the next level.
Haiya is in the oil-rich nation with his general secretary Alfred Gunda.
The two are expected back home tomorrow. Sports analyst George Kaudza Masina said the meeting between the two offers hope to Malawi football.
“We cannot talk of football development without infrastructure. Again, capacity building and technical development are key to football’s general development,’’ Kaudza Masina said.
While in Saudi Arabia, Haiya is expected to watch the World Club Cup final between European champions Manchester City and Flumenense of Brazil today.
Government owns the majority of sports infrastructure in the country including Bingu National Stadium, Civo Stadium, Kamuzu Stadium and Mzuzu Stadium.
However, managing the facilities has always been a major problem, with all the facilities having been closed at one time or another for failing to meet standards.
