2016 THE YEAR OF MALAWI QUEENS AND SAENDA BUT…

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 31^st 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 30^th 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 30^th 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.

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 16^th 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 12^th 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 16^th 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.

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. 

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 83^rd 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 !!