Football Association of Malawi (FAM) President Fleetwood Haiya says the Association is considering making the CAF A coaching licence a minimum requirement for coaches in the country’s elite football league once the first cohort of 25 coaches completes the ongoing course.

Haiya made the remarks on Wednesday afternoon when he officially opened the CAF A Coaching Course at Mpira Village in Blantyre, marking the return of the programme to Malawi after a 10-year break.

The course has attracted 25 participants, comprising 21 men and four women, drawn from national teams, clubs and other football development structures.

Speaking at the event, Haiya commended FAM Technical Director Yvon Avry, veteran instructor retired Captain John Kaputa and others who worked tirelessly to develop the coaching syllabus approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), allowing Malawi to conduct the course locally.

He challenged the participating coaches to make the most of the opportunity, describing the qualification as a major milestone in their coaching careers and an important step towards improving football standards in the country.

“Most coaches who come into the country from abroad hold this qualification. This is more than a degree, and it gives you an opportunity to coach teams anywhere.

“This will help us develop football in the country because we need better coaches to produce better players,” said Haiya.

The FAM President said the Association had previously maintained CAF B as the minimum coaching qualification under club licensing requirements for elite clubs because CAF A courses were not available locally.

“We have been operating with CAF B as the minimum requirement under our club licensing regulations, especially for elite clubs, because there was no CAF A course available.

“Once this cohort completes the course, that is going to change.

“There is a strong possibility that we will require coaches in the Elite League to hold a CAF A licence. This may also extend to the National Division League, while CAF B holders could be coaching in regional competitions,” he said.

Haiya further said FAM would work towards conducting CAF A courses more frequently to increase the number of qualified coaches in the country.

He also called for greater participation of women in advanced coaching education, revealing that he had targeted at least 20 percent female representation in the inaugural cohort.

Meanwhile, Scorchers head coach Lovemore Fazili, who is among the 25 participants, welcomed the opportunity, saying the course would help him improve his coaching knowledge and skills.

“It is very important for those of us who hold CAF B licences because we are going to upgrade our qualifications, improve in areas where we have been struggling and perfect what we have already been doing well,” said Fazili.

Malawi could also see an increase in the number of female CAF A licence holders if all four women participating in the course successfully complete the programme.

For the past decade, Maggie Chombo-Sadick has been the country’s only female coach holding the qualification.