At least 30 associations will not access annual funding  after failing to meet the March 16 Malawi National Council of Sports deadline to present evidence of conducting annual general meetings (AGMs) or commitment of holding one within the 2022/23 financial year.

Sports Council board chairperson Sunduzwayo Madise confirmed the decision in an interview yesterday.

He said Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) presented a commitment letter and will be spared alongside Football Association of Malawi (FAM), Chess Association of Malawi and Malawi Athletics.

Madise said FAM holds its AGMs regulary while Malawi Athletics is already in the process.

When asked how the council will make the funding inaccessible to the associations without affecting the athletes, Madise said: “We will sit down to discuss how this should be handled. Indeed, athletes need not to be affected.”

 Sports Council ordered all associations to submit the confirmations after noting “with concern that some associations are violating their own constitutions, which mandate them to hold AGMs”.

Delegates at a previous FAM AGM

The sports governing body said that failure to hold AGMs is a sign of poor governance and points to lack of transparency and accountability on financial management.

Said Madise:“We are not trying to punish the associations but regulate sports as per our mandate. Associations have to follow their consitutional requirements and be serious to meet deadlines.”

Some of the affected associations are Hockey Association of Malawi (HAM), Malawi Boxing Association (Maba), Basketball Association of Malawi (Basmal), Volleyball Association of Malawi, Malawi Cricket Union, Malawi Schools Sports Association.

Others are Lawn Tennis Association of Malawi, Malawi Paralympics Committee, Judo Association of Malawi, Taekwondo Association of Malawi, Malawi Aquatic Union and Kendo Association of Malawi.

But some of the associations yesterday attributed their failure to submit their confirmations before the deadline to lack of resources.

In spite of that, Maba general secretary Daudi Shaibu said last Saturday they discussed possible dates for their AGM and they are expected to make their submission today.

When reminded that the submission deadline expired six days ago, Shaibu said: “AGMs require resources and, as you know, government is our biggest financier. Due to the effects of Covid-19, it was difficult to source funding from the corporate world. We understand the importance of AGMs, but lack of resources is our biggest setback. We tried our best but things are difficult.”

HAM general secretary Geoffrey Biya said lack of resources and some internal problems were a stumbling block.

“We had some issues which the council is expected to resolve. In spite of that, we will meet as HAM executive committee today to come up with resolutions regarding the issue,” he said.

“We also feel it is not on for Sports Council to give deadlines on associations’ management issues, which they do not fund. For us to hold the AGM, funding is key and it is not easy to find it.”

On their part, Basmal general secretary Peter Gomani said they already made their submission and set April 29 as their AGM date, “but council has not acknowledged receipt of their email”.

The post Sports council stance hits 30 first appeared on The Nation Online.