Silver Strikers are demanding a formal apology from Football Association of Malawi (Fam) over the treatment of striker Binwell Katinji in relation to his recent call-up to the Malawi National Football Team, the Flames.
This comes after Katinji was sent back from Flames training camp in Lilongwe on Saturday night.
Katinji, who was initially excluded from the Flames 28-member squad that is preparing for the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Namibia and Tunisia, was told to report for camp training in Lilongwe on Saturday.
Upon arrival at the Flames training camp on Saturday, where he had supper with teammates, the forward was informed that his name was included by mistake.
Silver Chief Executive Officer Patrick Chimimba said the treatment of Katinji raised serious concerns about professionalism and integrity of processes at Fam.
“We expect a high standard of professionalism from Fam, particularly in handling players’ careers and welfare. This incident has caused unnecessary emotional distress to our player and we find it wholly unacceptable that such treatment can be meted out [on a player] by the national football governing body.
“Given the gravity of this situation, we seek urgent clarification on why our player was treated this way and what guarantees we have for the safety and well-being of other players in camp,” Chimimba said.
Chimimba said the treatment of Katinjii was not only embarrassing but also damaging to the player’s psychological well-being.
“Our player was directly contacted by the National Team Manager James Chilapondwa around 5pm and instructed to report to camp, which he duly did. He even went on to have supper [with others] around 7pm.
“Around 8pm, he was shockingly informed that he had been called up by mistake and was not supposed to be there and should leave camp. He left immediately and was escorted back home by Mr Peter Mgangira, the national team fitness trainer,” he said.
The Flames are expected to host Namibia’s Brave Warriors at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe this Thursday before facing Tunisia away four days later.
Fam Competitions and Communications Director Gomezgani Zakazaka said the mishap was a result of miscommunication.
“There was an error in the letter that was sent to Silver for the release of the players as his name was included. The mistake was rectified but some staff from both Silver and Fam did not notice that the mistake was corrected,” he said.
Katinji’s exclusion from the initial Flames squad has drawn mixed reactions from the football fraternity.
Some people were of the view that Katinji performed better than some players during the two matches against Comoros in the African Nations Championship (Chan) playoffs.
Former Flames striker Essau Kanyenda said it was unfortunate that Katinji got such a treatment just a week after he scored two goals for the Flames.
“It is a [form of] torture to be treated that way, coming two weeks after he scored two goals in two matches. This does not look good,” Kanyenda said.
Other notable exclusions from Pasuwa’s squad include defender Stanley Sanudi, midfielder Chimwemwe Idana and goalkeeper Brighton Munthali.
The Flames are fourth in Group H of the World Cup qualifiers with six points following two wins and two losses from four matches.
Tunisia lead the group with 10 points whereas Namibia are second with eight points.
Liberia are third with seven points.
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