North Elects New Women’s Football Executive Committee
All the women who voted in the last December’s Football Association of Malawi(FAM) annual general meeting from the Northern Women’s Football Association have been voted out of office at the regional association’s elective meeting held on Saturday.
A total of 14 delegates from all the districts in the northern region voted in a highly contested regional elective indaba that has ushered into office a secondary school teacher at Mzuzu Government, Ivy Mwafulirwa as new Chairperson.
Mwafulirwa trounced Clara Luhabga with eight (8) votes against six (6) while Ester Sakasaka beat Tamala Singini to clinch the position of vice Chairperson.
Dezzie Botha is the new General Secretary while Gloria Fatch has become the new Treasurer General beating Efrina Mkandawire by the same 8-6 margin.
Ellan Chirwa is the new Vice Secretary while Tusekile Kalinga, Viwisi Nyasulu, Alex Kachipapa and Jane Nyirenda are new executive committee members.
In her acceptance speech the newly elected Chairperson, Ivy Mwafulirwa called on all district leaders to work in unison and rejuvenate women’s football which she said has been dormant for sometime.
“We must work together and achieve our specific goals in developing women football in the northern region, it is only through collaborative effort that we can triumph and start contributing a significant number of players to the National team,” said Mwafulirwa.
In her remarks, National Women’s Football Association’s General Secretary, Lustica Gondwe held the delegates for conducting themselves in a highly disciplined manner that enabled a smoothly managed election.
“Some individuals tried to bring in chaos by bringing in their unwarranted constitutional misunderstandings which were easily thwarted and the game of women football has won,” said Gondwe.
The northern region women football Association has become the first regional women’s soccer governing body to conduct its elective annual General meeting while the central region and the south will have their own in due course.
The three women who have been voted out of office were vital to FAM president, Fleetwood Haiya when defeating Walter Nyamilandu in an election which some observers said was highly influenced by the government agents in bribing the delegates.