The Malawi National Council of Sports (MNCS) yesterday assured sports association that it has no intention in interfering with any association.
The sentiments were made by MNCS board chairperson Dr. Sunduzwayo Madise during Council meeting with sports associations at Malawi sun hotel in Blantyre which was aimed at assisting sports associations on how best they can implement the sports association management guidelines that were launched by the council last year.
‘’ All we are saying is that associations should implement the governance structures that most them have in their own constitutions, what we will not accept is for associations to flout their own constitutions, so if associations are not having elections, if associations are not providing financial reports, if associations are not having Annual General Meeting (AGM), then yes Council will sanction them and if they feel like that is interference then that is their problem. We do not think any international federation can accept an association that is not having an AGM and not having financial reports’’. Explained Madise
Over 30 associations attended the meeting and each association explained to the Council that they are slowly implementing the guidelines that were launched by the Council.
‘’ We wanted to find out the progress on the implementation of the guidelines so the first thing we have noted is that we have been surprised because the impression that was created was that the associations were against the guidelines and associations are not implementing the guidelines, but what we have leant today is that the associations are implementing the guidelines. They do have challenges, but they are implementing them’’. Explained Dr Madise
Making a presentation at the meeting Lawn Tennis Association of Malawi (LTAM) general secretary Reginna Dembo said they are ok with the guidelines, but they need more time to implement them
‘’We have some challenges in implementing some of the guidelines, because we are yet to find resources but we believe we will implement them. We only ask Council to consider on the affiliation fees because we receive 5 million annually and we are paying K150,000 while some associations receive K200 million annually and yet they pay the same K150,000 so our plea is that council should consider us’’ explained Dembo
Some of the issues that were discussed at the meeting involved the need for associations to hold AGM, pay their affiliation fees and have audited financial reports.