Football Association of Malawi (FAM) vice president James Mwenda has been removed from the chairmanship of the main Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the COSAFA Under-17 Youth Championship.
Malawi will host the tournament between September 25 and October 5, 2019 in Blantyre.
Meanwhile, Jabba Alide has taken over the chairmanship and will be deputized by Daud Ntanthiko.
In a press statement released on August 13, FAM General Secretary, Alfred Gunda said the Competitions Committee of FAM will take charge of the responsibility to organize the COSAFA Under-17 Championship.
Gunda said the development normalizes the mandate of organizing football competitions of FAM under the Competitions Committee consistent with the provisions of the statutes of FAM.
He said: “There was a Local Organizing Committee that was put in place but at its first meeting some few weeks ago it was resolved that its memberships should be revised therefore it is in this regard that a decision has been made to make the Competitions Committee Under the Chairmanship of Mr. Jabbar Alide to take over the LOC duties.”
Gunda further said Tiya Somba Banda and Chimango Munthali have henceforth been co-opted as members of the LOC by virtue of being leaders of the Elite Super League and the Youth League respectively.
The Committee has also included ex-official members from the Ministry of Sports, Malawi National Council of Sports, Malawi Police Service and Blantyre City Council.
“The changes do not affect the various Sub Committees that have recently been appointed to assist with the administration of the Tournament,” said Gunda.
Other faces in the 2019 COSAFA Under 17 Local Organizing Committee include; Lameck Khonje, Austin Ajawa, Raphael Humba, Williams Banda and Daud Suleman.
Coincidentally, Gunda’s removal comes barely few days after he came out of the shell and announced that he will contest for the presidency of FAM during the forthcoming elective FAM Annual General Meeting slated for December, 2019, a position which the incumbent, Water Nyamilandu, has not yet disclosed on whether he will re-run or not.
