Haiya defends Pasuwa, Fazili

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Fleetwood Haiya has thrown his full weight behind Flames coach Kallisto Pasuwa despite the team’s continued poor showing.

He has also stood by Scorchers’ mentor Lovemore Fazili despite growing criticism from some quarters.

In an exclusive interview with Zodiak Television that touched on a variety of issues, Haiya pleaded for patience from the local football fraternity, saying he has trust and confidence in the Zimbabwean tactician.

“Of course, the Flames are not performing according to expectations, but we have to understand that we are building a team.

“But while we understand that they are building a team, sometimes we want to win. So, I plead with Malawians to be patient. Assuming he [Pasuwa] fails to qualify for the 2027 Afcon [Africa Cup of Nations], which is the ultimate target, he will undergo a disciplinary process.

“But I want to assure Malawians that he is the right coach to take us to Afcon. He is a good coach.”

The FAM boss said they have tried to provide everything they can for the team.

“Every [Fifa] window, we ensure that they play,” he said.

Haiya also defended Pasuwa on his continued change of players, saying he is trying other players.

He said: “What happens is that when he is impressed with a player, he drops him deliberately and calls another one so that he can compare and contrast, but then other quarters don’t see it that way.

“We are on the right path, rebuilding cannot happen overnight, it is a process [and] let’s trust the process.”

The Flames are winless in the four games they have played this year. They finished bottom at a Four Nations Tournament on Botswana in March where they lost to Zambia’s B team 9-8 on post-match penalties after playing out a goalless draw in regulation time. They also lost to a predominantly youthful Botswana side 1-0.

Earlier this month, they lost to Ethiopia 1-0 before a 1-1 draw in friendly matches.

Overall, under Pasuwa, Malawi have won seven matches, lost nine and drawn six.

Turning to Fazili, Haiya said despite criticism from some quarters, he will remain in charge of the team at the 2026 Wafcon which kicks off next month.

“We qualified under him and to drop him will be unfair. Fazili is the right choice.

“Of course, he doesn’t have the required CAF A required at that level, but we will stick with him. What we will do is just to add two others to help him, perhaps an adviser and an analyst.”

Both Pasuwa and Haiya had not responded to our questionnaires at the time of going to press.

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