Surestream football academy closure worrisome – Chamangwana

Mighty Be Forward Wanderers head coach Jack Chamangwana has said the closure of Malawi’s first ever recognized football academy, Surestream is a big blow to the development of Malawi football.

Chamangwana, who is also former Football Association of Malawi  (FAM)Technical Director and coach said the academy had raised high hopes of producing a world class player going by brilliant players it had developed.

‘It’s sad that Surestream Academy is closed. It offered us with high expectations that one day we will produce a world class player as it is the case with most football academies,”Chamangwana said.

“Within a short period the academy managed to raise and develop good players some of them are now playing for big clubs in the country and the national team.”

He appealed to Football Association of Malawi to consider setting up a football academy to close the gap that has been created by the Closure of Surestream.

“There’s need for FAM to do something about this because it would affect the development of football in the country.”

He suggested that FAM should build around the Under-15 it has launched in some parts of the country.

Reacting to the development a popular sports discussion programme midweek sport on national radio station, Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, he said the situation was triggered by lack of proper channel when it was being set.

The pannelists sports commentators Steve Liwewe Banda and Patrick Simango and host Frank Kandu argued that Surestream was given too much space to operate without considering a contract.

“It appears that was no contract with FAM or they were not answerable to anyone else.”

They also blamed the closure on the infighting which ensued after former Technical Director Peter Mponda broke away with the team into the Super League over ownership wrangles.

There was also disagreement with FAM after Surestream moved to buy MDC Stadium following its massive renovations.

Surestream was sponsoring the academy at an annual capital injection of US$500,000.

The management had plans to take the players to play youth football in Europe.

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