QUEENS VICTORY EARNS SAENDA THE
INNOVATOR OF INNOVATORS AWARD! BUT..
Malawi netball queens; pic; Malawi Nation |
The
Malawi sports basket seems to have planned a hot ending of the year. Really a
hot ending but I like it anyway. For the first time in the history of this blog
but also after a prolong promise, the time has turned in favor of netball issues
on the menu. The author will not be
surprised if he receives encouragement calls from the Ministry of Gender for
striving to instill gender balanced articles. But as usual there are some few
issues to announce.
The
author wants to relay a heartfelt condolence to Civo Service United for its relegation
in the most celebrated Tnm Super League.
Like other soccer fans and commentators who have spoken before, it is a
bad unforgettable record that Civo has registered in the Malawi football
history. Once mighty, the Civo United has all resources required in best
operation of a football club than many clubs that have survived the chop. It is
among few clubs with their own stadium, it has a beautiful bus, and it has a
never-dry tap of money from the central government and what else… I mean I
don’t know. Perhaps it only confirms that nearing a lake is not a guarantee of
swimming skills’.
I
have temporarily suspended talks on the Tnm tightened competition until the
evening of 31st December 2016 when all the games will have been
played. All I can say at the moment is that The Nyasa Big Bullets
are the defending champions of TNM super
league.
EXCITEMENT
Cheering and jeering was heard in Malawi’s dense
populated habitants of Chilinde, Kawale, Chisapo, Area 25, 36, to mention a few,
on the afternoon of Sunday 30th October 2016 on hearing news
that the Malawi netball team, The Queens have won against Great Britain netball team to
finish third at the Fast Five series in Australia.
The full blast excitement refused to die up to
Thursday, four days after the victory. For instance, the author’s visitation to
Capitol Hill; the Government of Malawi’s headquarters on Monday for a separate
business discovered that the Queens performance was the top headline in the
workers discussions. Civil servants up there had faces carrying a message of
victory. Some of these public workers
stringed the victory to various sources with somebody shouting on top of his
voice that the triumph is courtesy of
the wise and dynamic leadership of Malawi president Professor Peter
Mutharika. No comment!
Two women at the stairs of a magnificent Ministerial
building screamed “The Queens win is a gift to us women for the 2016 Mother’s day Celebrations which
also falls in October”. Well, every person might have their own judgment on the
victory but the point is that many people were excited. And as usual people
have appetite to associate themselves with a winning side.
The media, too, were not spared from this victory
jubilation. News Bulletins and Sport Magazine programmes were in high mood for
the Malawi National Netball stars. Voices of Malawians could be heard in
phone-in programmes outpouring their joyous celebrations for the Queens.
Equally statuses and profiles on the Social media were just balloons of the
day; setting up one after another in hours. Some of the statuses read “Our
queens our pride”. Another read in part; “Queens of Malawi and beyond, queens
of our hearts”. A comment on social feed
by Tikondane grace Nasungwi “queens putting Malawi on the mountain top”. All
these truly reflect the reward of the grand fight the Mutharika daughters had
put up to reach their arm for the Bronze glory.
WHAT
HAPPENED
The Malawi national netball team stood on her strong
feet to beat mother protectorate the Great Britain on Sunday 30th
October to finish third at 2016 Fast
Five Netball series in Australia. The victory meant the Queens are the
first African team to finish within a medal category in the netball fast five
series, second African team to have pocketed home a prize at an international
competition following South Africa
Proteas’ silver in 1995 and bronze
in 1967 during INF world netball
tournaments.
Malawi Queens must be the most cerebrated having
showcased a powerful desire to play at the games. It narrowly lost to title
favorites; Australia which had been superb throughout until it gave it easily
to New Zealand in the grand finals.
“Crowd favorites Malawi pulled off their best
finish in seven years of the short-form tournament, edging past England 35-32
in the play off for bronze” The New Zealand Helard reported.
Australians, who were hosting the tournament for the
first time, looked the goods to break their title drought in Fast5 format
having come through the round robin unbeaten. Their impressive run through the
first round included a 32-29 win over the Ferns on day one. But with nine of their
ten strong squad playing Fast5 for the first time, the New Zealand side built
their way in the grand finals. The same New Zealand Helard wrote.
SURPRISES AT THE TOURNEY:
FIGHTING SPIRIT
The Malawi Queens was the second team at the
tournament to have revenged on the final day by beating the team it had lost to
in the opening match. They followed New
Zealand which retaliated by defeating Australia
after a painful loss against the host on the opening day.
On the lightening and thundering fight put up by the
Malawi ladies, Malawi Sports Council General Secretary George Jana had this to
say back home; “what matters is
preparations and focus, the will to win is assumed by hunger and will for
success. Money is not the only motivation to success but also the spirit of
patriotism”
FROM ZERO TO HERO
The year
2016 has proved to be the twelve months in which rejected stones have anchored the
holding corners of memorial structures. I call it the year of wonders. A man
infamous in politics; Dornald Trump despite of his earlier bitter goofs, criticism
and despise, went on to win the US elections. Even here in Africa a businessman
has oust a long serving president in Gambia during the recent elections.
In
sports, the team of rejects Leicester City won the English premier league in
style. But the most interesting thing is that the rejected Malawi Queens won bronze at the Fast Five Series. Two things
accompanied the Malawi ladies to qualify for the ‘rejected’ category.
It has
to be reminded among Malawians and be revealed to Non Malawians that the Malawi Queens went to Australia with a deficit on the budget.
Despite making various requests for well-wishers to bail out the queens, only a
few companies heard the voice on the window. The team only escaped
embarrassment in the foreign country; thanks to tournament organizers who had met
the logical requirements of hosting the queens. This gesture angered some
analysts back home.
During a
360 Sports Magazine on Times radio, Pilirani Kachinziri a sports journalist at
the company had no kind words. “Very few well-wishers cared about the needs of the Queens on their way to Australia, therefore we do not want to see many people appearing to cerebrate with the queens after the victory” he said.
“I don’t
want to see flowers from unknown people and companies at the Airport. They
failed to help the ladies in time of need perhaps except only UNICAF, Illovo Sugar Limited, Airtel
and some few companies” said Kachinziri with his angry voice.
The journalist
then appealed to Malawians to develop character of helping Malawi teams during
rain so that they celebrate together in sunshine.
It
should also be remembered that the Malawi Queens went to the tournament with a
temporally technical staff. The men at the top of it all are Griffin Saenda as
Head and Sam Kanyenda as deputy. This is
the duo which was there before. The two helped the Malawi Queens to ride
ladders to position five in the world and number one in Africa before
surprisingly being dumped for reasons that only the Netball Association can
justify.
Once
again Kanchiziri had no
mercy words at the Netball governing body. “These
two coaches were just victimized due to mere grudges at NAM. As a result the netball team had been
suffering from lack of tactics without Saenda”.
He strongly bemoaned the NAM for sidelining Saenda for what he called depriving the nation achievements due to individual interest.
He strongly bemoaned the NAM for sidelining Saenda for what he called depriving the nation achievements due to individual interest.
Anyway,
by the end of the year Griffin Saenda is the hero having pocketed the
innovators award and then innovator of innovators award at the Presidential
Palace on 16th December’ night during MBC innovators awards ceremony
and will live in China for a Month.
The
Malawi Queens went to Australia without a prior competitive international game
following organizer’s deliberate omission of the queens from the teams list invited to participate in a
netball diamond competition hosted by old rivals South Africa earlier in the
year.
Surely,
the South African side preempted that inviting Queens would pile themselves
fatal results at the Fast Five tournament which was just around the corner. In
the end the rejected Queens favored themselves with a grand fight in Australia
to prove that the team is still the best in Africa and above.
CELEBRATIONS
Saenda recieves an award from president Mutharika; pic by Times |
The Ministry of Labour, Youth, Sports and Man power development announced that the Malawi Heroes were to be treated by their official sponsors, Airtel at Capital Hotel. Government officials also pledged to sneak out of office to welcome the Queens on arrival at KIA on that Tuesday.
On 12th
December the queens were then hosted by the President Mutharika at Sanjika
Palace in Blantyre for a luncheon. Perhaps what was quite touching at the pre-festive
season treatment was the recognition of the Queens’ achievement by President
Mutharika.
“Personally
I am very excited and I feel greatly honoured and I would like to thank you for
making Malawi proud. Your achievement has given us global visibility and we are
proud of you’. ‘The Queens showcased an extraordinary achievement and it is a lesson
to all Malawians to believe in themselves and be confident in whatever they do”
Mutharika was quoted on Nyasatimes.
Perhaps
the author might not bother to mention the material items that these
achievers have been receiving. But this gesture was followed by another amazing
recognition of the Queens’ head coach Griffin Saenda at the Kamuzu palace in
Lilongwe on 16th December.
WHAT NEXT?
Well,
congratulations, medals, gifts and all the rest have been ushered to the Queens
for the achievement. However there is a precious medal, award and a gift that
people are failing to offer for the Malawi ladies; a hope for the brighter future. People ought not to be overexcited with the
October achievement alone. Instead the joy ought to originate from the
discovery that given conducive environment the Malawi Queens have the potential
to beat giants, win medals and go further than here.
Malawians
need to be reminded that the achievement of the netball team has just pilled
more bitterness and tension on its arch rival South Africa. In the subsequent
tournaments, the Queens should expect fierce competition. The Proteas which we
are talking, needless to say, remember have better structures than our
dilapidated. Even their Rand is just powerful that sometimes they are able to
camp for months in Europe in preparation for tournaments.
Equally
Britain and Jamaica will not sit down and smile watching the defeats in the
videos. They will put up strategic plans for a retaliating fight in the
subsequent editions to rob off the position from Malawi.
Times Group Sports analyst Peter Kanjere agrees with this. During the same Times sports 360 he advised the team to
focus on the future plans to maintain the pace in order to improve in the INF
world Cup.
“The result must have instilled confidence in the players of rising above the giants BUT they should not be taken away. Instead devise how to approach the future” said Kanjere.
“The result must have instilled confidence in the players of rising above the giants BUT they should not be taken away. Instead devise how to approach the future” said Kanjere.
Kanjere
expressed the need for the development of Netball Youth structures by
allocating enough resources to netball which is giving dividends than
activities that do not return anything. He also called on NAM to produce strategic plan in order to improve netball courts
and infrastructure in the country.
NAM president Rossy Chinunda admitted during the Sanjika
luncheon that despite the queen’s good performance, netball is facing a number
of challenges especially limited funding and lacks proper facilities.
“Our court is rough as it is made of concrete that we cannot host big events. Furthermore, under-21 teams are in Angola playing but due to funding issues, our under 21netball team has failed to participate” Nyasa Times wrote.
“Our court is rough as it is made of concrete that we cannot host big events. Furthermore, under-21 teams are in Angola playing but due to funding issues, our under 21netball team has failed to participate” Nyasa Times wrote.
The above
remarks means the Malawi Queens are rising by a thread because youth structures
and good facilities are the integral benchmark of sports development. Failure to
prepare the youth for their graduation into the senior squad when the current
members call it quit, means the queens foundations are laid on Senga-Bay sand.
LESSONS FROM CHINA?
It is
reported that the Queens’ Saenda has been offered a month long-all paid for
educative tour to China. Perhaps the most important gift he can bring home than
usual chocolates is the knowledge of how the Chinese Government is heavily
investing in sports, football in particular, with vision to become a great
football nation by 2050.
BBC
reported that the Government wants China to be a ‘World football superpower’ by
2050 and aims to develop a national team
capable of winning the world cup despite its 83rd current rank.
‘President
Xi’s 10-year plan – running from 2015 to 2025 is to create a Chinese sports
economy worthy $850bn. Optimistic estimates value the entire global sports economy at about $400bn. He wants to build 20, 000 football schools by 2017, producing 100, 000 players, and increase schools to 50, 000 by 2025.
President Xi wants China to host and win the world cup in the next 15 years” the report said.
Going by
the words in bold and italics, one would understand how long visionary the
Chinese Government seems to be. It is not however going to be the work of
government only. ‘A strong domestic league would help, in part, to realize these targets,
so China has encouraged big business to essentially bankroll the domestic
clubs. BBC’ Saj Chowdhury reported.
If the
readers look critically at the bold words in this last section, one would
literally come to discover how serious the Chinese people are in a quest to
celebrate for trophies in the near future. And they will be able to maintain
the superpower for a while following the instituted structures capable of
feeding in into the national squad all the time.
It is
high time the government of Malawi, the netball clubs, Companies and all loving
Malawians come together to structure long term measures to keep the Queens on
the map. This victory in 2016 can be
fast forgotten like morning dew if no structures and strategies are developed
to maintain and keep improving the team.
Much
attention has for so long been awarded to Men’s football yet they only return
disappointments. Specializing in netball cannot be a sin. Ethiopia and Kenya
pride to shine in athletics worldwide and they so pour their resources to such
discipline.
But in case developing strategies
seems to be a difficult job then just establish a standalone Ministry of
Netball to be led by Griffin Saenda. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha leave my ‘Zagaro’ alone
he is already busy training his tongue how to pronounce “Xing, ji, Xhi, in
preparation for his month long China stay.
Happy and
prosperous new year to you all !!