One-time Chiefs hopeful named Malawi caretaker coach

One-time Kaizer Chiefs target Kalisto Pasuwa has been appointed as Malawi’s Flames interim coach, three days after the exit of Patrick Mabedi.

The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) confirmed the FCB Nyasa Big Bullets’ coach’s appointment via a statement released on Friday.

FAM says its decision follows a virtual meeting held earlier on Friday to ratify its Emergency Committee’s move to release the former Chiefs captain Mabedi after a string of poor results.

“The committee resolved to approve the recommendation to appoint an interim technical panel comprising Kalisto Pasuwa as Head of Technical Panel, Peter Mponda as First Assistant Coach, Prichard Mwansa as Second Assistant Coach, Kinnah Phiri and Young Chimodzi as Technical advisers,” the statement reads.

Pasuwa has carved a cult-hero status at Bullets after steering them to five consecutive domestic league championships since arriving from Zimbabwe in 2018.

The Zimbabwean’s stellar track record saw him emerge in the conversation for the then Amakhosi vacant job, before Tunisian Nasreddine Nabi’s appointment.

Pasuwa, who has won nine consecutive league titles dating back to the four he bagged back home with Dynamos between 2011 and 2014, begins his reign away against Burundi in a dead-rubber for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers on 15 November.

The meeting also threw its weight behind the candidature of Dr Patrice Motsepe who is vying for the second term as the Confederation of Africa Football Associations president.

FAM fired Mabedi on Tuesday midway into his two-year contract following four straight defeats that condemned the Flames out of the qualification race for the Afcon finals.

Mabedi left the Flames bottom of Group L of the Afcon qualifiers without a point after playing four games.

Group leaders Senegal booked their place at the next Afcon finals after beating the Flames 1-0 last month.