A senior official from the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) is at the centre of a growing sexual misconduct scandal involving the Malawi Women’s National Football Team, with multiple members alleging that the official coerced them into unwanted sexual advances during recent international trips.
According to sources within the team, the official—Daudi Mtanthiko, a FAM executive member—and the team’s delegation leader—allegedly demanded physical affection, including hugs, kisses, and sexual favours, from several women during training camps and friendly matches abroad.
The allegations first surfaced during the team’s recent tour in Zambia in February, where the official made sexual advances towards a member of the team’s technical panel. Similar incidents were unveiled to BolaNews during a subsequent trip to South Africa this month, where the team played two matches against Banyana Banyana.
While in South Africa last week, two female members of the technical staff reportedly complained that the FAM official had propositioned them for sex.
Victim breaks silence
One alleged victim shared her harrowing experience with BolaNews following Malawi’s second match in South Africa, recounting how the official began by sending her text messages.
“At first he said I should see him in his room to get some money for shopping, telling me that my friends had gone out shopping,” she said.
“He said he had left the door open, so I should get the money there. I refused. At around 7 p.m., I heard a knock on my door. I opened the door and it was him. The moment I opened, he entered. I tried to block him but it was not possible.
“He closed the door and removed his trousers and grabbed me tightly — pushed me onto the bed. He said we should have sex. I refused, and later he said I should behave because I was old enough.
“I warned him that I will call for help, and he warned me [not to]. And later pleaded that I should help him. Amati chonde ingondithandiza sindingabwerere momwe ndililimu [ Help me since it can not be possible for me to return to my room charged like this.]
“I refused, and later he asked just for a kiss, which I refused. He asked for a hug, and I refused again. He forced me to hug him but when he realized that I was about to call for help, he stopped and left my room,” she said.
FAM’s Stance
The victim said she reported the incident to team officials, who in turn informed head coach Lovemore Fazili and his assistant Maggie Chombo. However, no immediate action was taken.
“We thought the coach or his vice would take action but it was not the case,” another source said.
The matter has since been escalated to FAM President Fleetwood Haiya, who was informed of the allegations on Friday afternoon.
However, when contacted for comment on Saturday, Haiya told BolaNews that no complaint had been brought to his attention so far.
“We’re seeing the same stories circulating on social media, but we don’t yet know their source. That doesn’t mean we’ll ignore them—we will launch an investigation and provide a statement in due course. For now, it’s too early to comment,” Haiya said.
This developing story has sent shockwaves within the FAM executive, raising serious questions about player safety and accountability within the sport’s governing body.
Meanwhile, efforts to get a comment from the accused and FAM were unsuccessful by the time of this publication.
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