Swaziland top league side Manzini Wanderers want to recruit Flames team manager Charles Manda as head coach. The club wants Manda to take over from fired coach Elvis Chiweshe.

However, his involvement with Malawi national team is blocking the team from recruiting the former Escom United coach who is also Caf coaches’ instructor.

Manda and other technical panel members are yet to be offered full time contracts by Football Association of Malawi. The association meets this month to decide the future of the technical panel after their short-term contract expired.

Following the development, the club is also in talks with another Malawian born coach Richard Chipungu.

According to Times of Swaziland, Chipungu was recommended to the club by former Flames coach Kinnah Phiri. A source told Times of Swaziland that Chipungu and Manda were some of the shortlisted coaches for the job.

“Yes there is a coach from Malawi who the club will interview for the coaching position. And there is a likelihood that he takes over as his credentials seemed to be very impressive,” the newspaper reported.

The club’s PRO Lington Gule confirmed that there were interviews being conducted on the vacant coaching post and among the candidates were from Malawi but he refused to name them.

“The process of hiring a coach is ongoing here as people are aware that we have a vacancy. We will be interviewing a lot of people even from the United Kingdom and Malawi if I may put it that way,” he said.

“He has impressed the elders, after being recommended by our former coach Kinnah Phiri in Malawi. He is favoured to be unveiled as the new coach soon,” the official said.

Coach Kinnah Phiri was not available to confirm that he had recommended Chipungu. – By Joy Ndovi