1. Posted on Wednesday 13 January 2010 - 10:28

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   Owen Nyaka

   

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   You might hear before about Malawi's bittersweet love affair of expatriate coaches and local football but hundreds do not know that John Vart was the last Englishman to play in Flames.
   
   This was about five years ahead of the historical Malawi National team victory in the East and Central African Senior Challenge Cup.
   
   Speaking to African News reporter through his electronic mail, Vart who is currently staying in the United Kingdom (UK) said his talent was identified whilst playing in Malawi at a local club called Limbe Toyota; which is now popularly known as Telecom Wanders aka Manoma.
   
   At club level, he played a pragmatic brand of football drawing on a combination of young and experienced players like Peter Tindo, Damiano Malefula, William Green, George Smart and Zolo Msiska.
   
   "Ray Batchelor asked me to attend the Malawi football trials in the year 1969 as far as I recall. Ray was the national coach at that time," he wrote.
   
   At national level, he played alongside goalkeeper Green, centre back Henry Kapalamula, a left back Mustafa Munshi and centre forward Yassin Osman just mention a few of his patron saints of the pitch in a game of football.
   
   "Yassin was a class player who I believe with the right coaching, could have played in any premier league side in the world. In truth the rest of us were not in Yassin's class," said Vart, a father of two children whose ages are in the 30's.
   
   During his three-year playing period in Malawi national football team, he was featured as a first choice against Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Zambia with reasonable results of about 50 percent wins.
   
   "The team was always picked on merit and on form players. We all played with pride and good team spirit which in any multi player sport is an essential ingredient," he said.
   
   Vart first arrived as Young man in Malawi in the year 1966 with his parents and relatives. Later, he joined the tobacco industry in the year 1971 at imperial company and married his wife Helen in 1973.
   
   A year ahead 1974, he moved Malawi heading to Zimbabwe where they stayed for 10 years until comrade President Robert Mugabe come to power. Vart alongside others experienced the land disputes wrangle.
   
   It is for this reasons that he moved and arrived in United Kingdom in the year 1984 where he has worked for the same company, initially Intabex SA, a Swiss company, then on through many take over and mergers up to the present time it is called Alliance One International Limited.
   
   "I still visit Malawi from time to time where my company buys tobacco over the auctions and I help in the exports of the processed tobacco to various parts of the globe," he said.
   
   Despite his contribution towards football development in the country, Vart is still fit but this time play the game of golf with a 5 handicap and still remain very competitive.
   
   Lilongwe Based Malawi News Journalist, Leonard Sharra said such information is vital hence the need to be publicized even in the official website of the Football Association of Malawi for future reference.
   
   Apart from Ray Batchelor other notable expatriate coaches who have contributed positively to the country's football development are the likes of Ted Powel, Manfred Honna, Kim Splidsball and Allan Gillette.
   
   To date, Malawi's football has grown with a lot of professional players playing in countries like Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Russia and South Africa.
   
   Most importantly, Malawi National team has learnt to stand firm with their own local coaches Kinnah Phiri and Young Chimodzi whom under their guidance, for the first time in the history of the country's soccer, they took the team to Angola for Africa Cup of Nations.

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Reactions

1. Posted on Tuesday 16 March 2010 10:05

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   Owen Nyaka

   

   Owen Nyaka
   19 berichten
   Lid sinds January 2010
   Lilongwe

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   I had a chart with Football Association of Malawi Chief Executive Charles Nyirenda and I asked him if he is aware that once upon a time Malawi had an English player in its eleven man squard.
   
   To my surprise, the FAM Chief Executive says it was news to him. But the National Archive of Malawi has pictures of Vart playing for Malawi.

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