By Suleman Chitera
The morning sun hung gently over Mpira Village in Chiwembe Township as cameras clicked, officials gathered, and anticipation filled the air. It was not just another day at the home of Malawi’s football. It was a day that many inside FAM circles quietly hoped would mark a turning point.
Frenchman Yvon Avry, calm but visibly determined, stood beside Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Fleetwood Haiya as he was unveiled as the country’s new Technical Director. Though he officially reported for duty on November 3, this public moment symbolized much more than a new appointment. It represented a renewed belief that Malawi’s football can be rebuilt from the ground up—with structure, science, and long-term vision.
Haiya, whose tenure has emphasized transformation, did not hide his optimism.
“Without the TD department, there is no football,” he declared, his voice carrying the weight of years of untapped potential. “This office is at the heart of FAM as it is an engine room that shapes and holds the future of our game in communities, schools and villages.”
In the audience, coaches, former players and administrators nodded along. They know the gaps. They have seen promising talent slip through the cracks—schools with no trained coaches, community teams lacking basic structures, academies surviving on passion alone. To many of them, Avry’s appointment is more than administrative; it is symbolic.
Haiya continued:
“We cannot dream of having a great team without this office, and Yvon’s arrival reaffirms our commitment to take football forward and fulfil our player development and export strategy.”
At Mpira Village, the word “transformation” has become common, but FAM insists that with Avry it finally has the right architect. The Frenchman, ratified by FIFA and CAF, brings decades of international experience—experience that FAM hopes will modernize coaching, strengthen pathways for young players, and restore discipline and planning in how Malawi develops its talent.
Avry, though soft-spoken, exudes a quiet confidence. Those close to him describe him as a man who believes in structures more than slogans, in long-term progression more than overnight miracles. His task is enormous: to build a football system that can outlive individual coaches, political cycles, and generations of players.
If the new TD succeeds, Malawi could finally see consistent production of skilled players capable of competing—and being exported—to stronger leagues.
As the ceremony ended and officials drifted away, Avry stayed behind for a moment, looking over the training pitches. There was a hint of a smile—perhaps the recognition that somewhere behind these fields, in dusty grounds and village tournaments, the next Gabadinho or Peter Wadabwa might be waiting.
His job now is to make sure Malawi does not miss them.
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