By Rabson WOODWELL
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Football Association of Malawi (FAM) is impressed with the progress of the U16 FIFA/FAM Regional Leagues which go into the fourth week of the 2019/2020 Season this coming weekend.
FAM Youth Football Development Officer James Sangala said the matches have been competitive and the association believes the League will unearth a lot of talent.
“What is more encouraging is that the boys are scoring more goals which means that they are able to use the scoring skills they are learning. If they maintain this performance throughout the season, we believe that we will have a good picture of what to expect in the future when the boys start playing competitive top-level football,” said Sangala.
In reaction to the development, one of sport journalists in Malawi Maxwell Kachere applauded FAM for implementing these competitions with funding from the world football governing body FIFA.
However, Kachere blamed Football Association of Malawi (FAM) for failing to put in place good measures of sustaining the Leagues.
He says through its pilot project in which FAM used U15 could create a mechanism which would create a transitional system which FAM failed.
He added, “the other weakness of this programme is that they are using select teams from districts meaning that it’s very few children who are benefiting from this initiative; for example Lilongwe has many youth teams but it’s a handful number of players who are playing in the league.
“We would rather like FAM to set it in the way that many teams would be directly involved in each and every districts to give chances to many kids to participate in this competition. This would even help in talent identification, but as it is now, I don’t think those players who took part in the pilot project were nurtured.”
According to the statement released by FAM on Monday this week, Rumphi District is at the top of the Northern Region League with seven points and are followed by Nkhatabay Central, who also have seven points but with an inferior goal difference.
The statement also indicates that Chitipa is at the bottom of the table with no point from the three games in the northern region.
“In the Central region, Lilongwe urban are leading with seven points while Salima are at the bottom having lost all their three games.
“Blantyre Urban and Nsanje from the Southern Region League have won all their first three games but Blantyre Urban is top of the table with a Superior goal difference of 14 against Nsanje’s seven,” reads part of the statement.
Blantyre Rural on the other hand have lost all their games and are bottom of the table.
However, there is stiff competition in the Eastern Region League with three teams Balaka, Mangochi and Ntcheu tied at seven points but Ntcheu have a better goal difference and at the bottom there is Chiradzulu with no point.
The 2019/20 season of the FIFA/FAM U16 Regional Leagues started in December and will end in July 2020. and best players from each Region will form Regional Select Teams that will play in an Inter-Regional Tournament at the end of the season.
The following is the schedule for the week 4 of the Leagues:
25th and 26th January 2020
CENTRAL REGION
Dowa vs Dedza @ Madisi
Kasungu vs Ascent Academy @ Chankhanga Primary
Ntchisi vs Lilongwe Rural East @ Ntchisi Sec. Sch.
Lilongwe Urban vs Nkhotakota @ Lilongwe Community
Salima vs Mchinji @ Salima Community
EASTERN REGION
Machinga vs Balaka @ Liwonde Community
Phalombe vs Zomba Urban @ Mpasa CDSS
Chiladzulu vs Mangochi @ Chiladzulu Sec. Sch.
Ntcheu vs Zomba Rural @ Ntcheu Sec. Sch.
NORTHERN REGION
Mzuzu City vs Mzimba North @ Chibavi Primary
Nkhatabay South vs Mzimba South @ Chintheche
Rumphi vs Karonga @ Rumphi Stadium
Chitipa vs Nkhatabay Central @ Base
SOUTHERN REGION
Blantyre Urban vs Neno @ Mpira Stadium
Blantyre Rural vs Mulanje @ Mankhokwe
Thyolo vs Nsanje @ Conforz
Mwanza vs Chikwawa @ Mwanza Community