Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) has given the country’s football governing body-Football Association of Malawi (FAM) a go-ahead to host this year’s Under-17 Cosafa Youth Championship slated for September.
Council of Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa) granted Fam hosting rights for the competition during its annual general meeting which took place in South Africa in January this year.
Speaking to Executive Secretary for Malawi National Council of Sports, George Jana, said the government had assured Fam of support in hosting the regional event.
“We have given Fam the go-ahead. We also gave them the assurance that we will support them to host this big tournament in the country”, Jana said.
Fam General Secretary, Alfred Gunda, said, during its recent meeting, the association’s executive committee also approved hosting of the showpiece.
“We are making progress after our Executive Committee approved the decision to host the event. We are pleased that Sports Council has also given us the go-ahead”, Gunda said.
Government approval is crucial for associations to host any tournament in their respective countries. Zimbabwe Football Association pulled out of hosting this year’s Cosafa senior tournament after failing to get their government’s guarantee.
This threw the 2019 competition into doubt until the South African city of Durban stepped in to save the situation.