By Chisomo Phiri
Football Association of Malawi(FAM) Emergency Committee, which met on Saturday October 21,2023, has approved Patrick Mabedi as Flames Head Coach.
The meeting also resolved that the former Flames captain should choose his backroom staff.
According to the committee, Mabedi’s first assignments will be the forthcoming 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers against Liberia and Tunisia scheduled for next month.
Mabedi was Flames caretaker coach for a period of three months after the association decided against renewing Mario Marinica’s contract due to poor performance of the team.
He led the Flames to the semifinals of the Cosafa Cup for the first time in 20 years after winning all three matches in the group stage.
In the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers, the Flames drew 0-0 against Ethiopia at Zimpeto National Stadium in Maputo, Mozambique before a 2-2 stalemate against Guinea at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
Mabedi began his coaching career as the head, youth department, for Moroka Swallows from 2011 till 2015 and was later appointed as their assistant coach during the 2014–15 season under Craig Rosslee.
The following season he left Swallows and joined Mpumalanga Black Aces, and spent the season as their assistant coach to Muhsin Ertuğral when they finished fourth in the Absa Premiership, 24 points behind champions Mamelodi Sundowns.
In 2016, he had a brief spell as the assistant coach of the Malawian national team before taking up the role of head coach of Cape Town All Stars guiding them to a ninth-place finish in the 2016-17 National First Division season.
In June 2017, Mabedi was appointed assistant manager of Kaizer Chiefs.
On 23 April 2018, he was appointed caretaker manager for the rest of the season.
In early December, Chiefs relieved him of his duties as the team’s assistant coach after the club had also terminated the contract of the club’s head coach.
In the summer 2019, he was appointed assistant manager of Black Leopards under Lionel Soccoia.
The duo was fired on 17 September 2019.
