NATIONAL TEAMS - MALAWI - COACH - Meke Mwase appointed as new coach
Former Malawi international defender Meke Mwase will take over as permanent coach of the national side from 1 July 2019.
The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has appointed former international Meke Mwase as full-time coach of the national team.
Mwase, who has been in the role on a caretaker basis, has been offered a one-year contract which will be effective from 1 July 2019.
The appointment of the former Flames defender comes just a week after FAM revealed that they had received 55 applications for the national team's top job from both local and foreign tacticians.
"A FAM executive gathering decided to give Mwase a permanent job following his success as interim coach at the Cosafa Cup in South Africa, where the team performed well, said FAM President Walter Nyamilandu.
Under Mwase, the team played six games, registering three wins, one draw and two defeats (both on penalties) as they finished the Cosafa Cup in 5th place as runners-up in the plate section.
Mwase took over from Belgian coach Ronny Van Geneugden, whose two-year contract was not extended when it expired in April due to the national team's poor results.
Nyamilandu said Mwase is free to choose who to work with, stating, "Mwase will be expected to appoint his backroom staff."
The development is likely to please the Malawi government, which had previously refused to put Van Geneugden on the payroll, saying there was no money for a foreign coach.
Mwase was in charge of the Under-23 and Under-20 national teams before his recent appointment as Flames interim caretaker coach.
The coach has led Malawi in eight games since taking over from Van Geneugden, winning three games and drawing three as well, while losing two matches.
Malawi