The High Court of Malawi has ordered that recently expelled Football Association of Malawi (FAM) affiliates--the National Football Coaches Association (NFCA), National Youth Football Association (NYFA), and National Football Referees Association (NFRA)--be allowed to attend the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) as affiliates. The matter will continue at a later date.
Delivering the ruling, High Court Judge Allan Muhome said the order followed submissions by FAM, through its lawyer Luciano Mickeus, who argued that the claimants had served court documents late.
FAM told the court that the documents were only received last Monday, leaving them with insufficient time to properly study and respond to the case.
"FAM argued that this was too late for them to study the documents and exercise their right to be heard," said Judge Muhome.
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In response, the claimants' lawyer, David Kanyenda, expressed satisfaction with the ruling but questioned FAM's claim that some documents were missing.
He said all papers were properly submitted, bearing official FAM stamps and signatures.
"We are happy that the court has allowed the expelled associations to attend the AGM as affiliates and not merely stakeholders," said Kanyenda. "This is what we wanted as we wait for the matter to return to court for a full hearing."
FAM lawyer Luciano Mickeus, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling, arguing that it was made without giving the association adequate opportunity to be heard due to the alleged late submission of documents.
Although he acknowledged the outcome was not in FAM's favour, Mickeus said the association remained confident it would present its case once fully heard by the court.
On the issue of missing documents, Mickeus confirmed that FAM did receive the papers but suggested they may have been misplaced due to their similarity, which could have led to confusion.
"Since the order does not give us any clarification, we strongly believe that officials from the three associations will have to make their own arrangements to be available at the AGM. Otherwise, we are confident that everything will be fine when the opportunity arrives for us to be heard," said Mickeus.
FAM expelled the three associations in June 2025 during its Annual General Meeting.
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The football governing body is expected to hold its next AGM this coming Saturday at Sunbird Livingstonia in Salima.
