TNM Super League champions Nyasa Big Bullets say their coach Kallisto Pasuwa has a long term contract which ties him to the People’s Team up to 2025.

The club’s chief executive officer Suzgo Nyirenda was responding to reports linking the tactician with the Flames as interim coach  to replace fired Mario Marinica.

Football Association of Malawi (FAM) executive committee is expected to name an interim coach tomorrow and the association’s technical committee has proposed the Zimbabwean tactician to take over.

But Nyirenda said the coach is contracted to Bullets after renewing his contract in April last year.

He said: “The only thing I can say is that the coach signed a long term contract with FCB Nyasa Bullets which include his image rights.”

Nyirenda explained that the contract does not allow him to take up another job, whether temporary or permanent.

Though Bullets are yet to be notified of the FAM technical committee’s recommendation, Nyirenda hinted that if Pasuwa will leave, the club would have to be compensated.

He said: “In the football world today, you have to pay to get a coach.”

Pasuwa was not available for comment while his manager Gibson Mahachi was yet to respond to our e-mail as at press time at 8pm yesterday.

But soccer analyst Charles Nyirenda said Bullets are justified to hold on to their coach:

He said: “Look, Bullets have a long-term project with the coach. If he would leave now, it would inconvenience their long-term plans. I do not expect them to allow their coach to leave just like that.”

The FAM technical sub-committee also recommended former Mighty Mukuru Wanderers coach Alex Ngwira and National Team Under-20 coach Patrick Mabedi as Pasuwa’s assistants to oversee the Cosafa Cup and the remaining 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers against Guinea and Ethiopia.

But the sub committee also recommended the coaching job vacancy to identify a permanent replacement for Marinica who was fired after the Flames lost their recent back-to-back qualifiers against the Pharaohs of Egypt.

Malawi lost 2-0 away in Cairo on March 24 before suffering a 4-0 humiliation at home four days later in the reverse fixture.

Bullets hired the Zimbabwean in 2018 and they have won four consecutive TNM Super League titles, the Airtel Top 8, FDH Bank Cup and three Charity Shields.

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