Football has turned into a billionaire dollar industry across the world, undeniably so, albeit, Malawi football remains at the periphery of this lucrative system evidently. The continued under-performance of Malawi National football team, poor and luck of infrastructure, unattractive player incentives and salaries over the years can be used as a yardstick to measure the stagnant nature of the game.
We may argue as to why we haven’t graduated from the gazzeted under-achievement mess, but the biggest indivisible common denominator that appears in the entire equation is leadership.
Even though, we ask, pertinently, do motives of those in leadership matter, on what grounds? Is the forthcoming Football Association of Malawi (FAM) Elective Assembly relevant to the progress and development of the game? Or it is one of those periodic routine constitutional requirements? We ask and dissect from the bare planes of moral considerations.
From time immemorial, philosophical, theological and political actors have pondered on the relationship between moral realm and political realm. Lest we underestimate, FAM Elections are purely political, because they in essence, have aspirants who sell their ideas to an established electorate to get voted into office. Complicated though, there has been a long debate over the intersection of morality and politics, in an elective atmosphere.
Fundamental concepts of the ‘right and the good’ justice and equality, personal liberty and public interest all come under serious microscope. In football cycles, where incumbents have benefitted over immune veils, matters of moral considerations are not held highly, over matters of ‘pure political’ survival. Philosophical thoughts of Aristotle, perhaps, one among the many revered political philosophers sums up:
“The proper aim of politics is moral virtue” In essence, leadership is bound towards doing noble actions. In marked contrast, Machiavelli’s prince exalted pragmatism over morality, the maintenance of power over the pursuit of justice.
The two poles will define destiny and relevance of FAM December elective Assembly, as suitors are positioning or repositioning themselves to be available at the ‘Magna Cena’ (Great banquet) of our football in December.
Thus the motives, do really matter. The finest 36 men and women entrusted with the destination of our football in December, must therefore look at the motives of aspiring and ‘re-aspiring’ for power.
In order to stay in power, incumbents have acted against conscious, against charity and sadly against humanity. It remains undisputed though, that rampant corruption, maladministration and lack of accountability have negatively impacted on the development of football in Malawi. There has been systematic and institutionalized problems within Malawi football administration structures.
Maybe swimming under FIFA’s standing and floated statutes of non-interference corrupt leaders have been offered an all-round plunk of safety to plunder. The resultant effect has seen very little development of the game as a vibrant commercial entity, over the years.
Football remains a popular sport and part of the social fabric in Malawi by various social and economic indicators. However the development of the game as a viable commercial entity will never be realized if the current organizational malfeasance continues, where any talk of good governance in football is often viewed as an intrusion by FAM ‘into its established prerogatives of power, privilege, purse and space.
The question is what then for Malawian football given the deep rooted and structured nature of corruption and maladministration at the highest altar? Perhaps the December elections will offer some relief? Or will it be business as has been usual?
