Arsenal Wenger protégé loses coaching job in Malawi

Malawi football giants Silver Strikers have sacked Zambian coach Daniel Kabwe, who credits his football philosophy to his apprenticeship under Arsene Wenger at Arsenal at the turn of the century.

A statement from the Lilongwe-based club says they have parted ways with the former Zanaco mentor with immediate effect.

“Coach Daniel Kabwe has been relieved of his duties effective immediately. The decision has been arrived at based on the team’s performance. The current interim arrangement of the coaching panel will be maintained until further communication from management,” a statement from Silver reads.

The former Zambia Coaches Association interim president said he was not bitter about the dismissal.

“I have received [the decision] with both hands. It is part of the game. As you are aware, mine was performance-based, and if no good results are posted under review, you part ways,” Kabwe told The Daily Times newspaper.

The Reserve Bank of Malawi-sponsored team sacked Kabwe over two months after suspending him following a 3-1 loss to league defending champions Nyasa Big Bullets.

Kabwe started his reign at Silver last season promisingly when he won the FDH Bank Cup, finished second in the league and was Airtel Top 8 in the 2020-2021 campaign.

However, management made it clear they had hired him—the first ever foreign coach they had engaged—to win the league and fired the Zambian, only to recall him until he finished the season.

This season, the performance of Silver has been far from convincing in the league. They lie in a distant sixth place on the 16-member log table with 26 points from 16 games, some 16 points behind leaders Bullets.

With Kabwe suspended in the last two months, Silver have been struggling. They lost 5-4 on post-match penalties to Dedza Dynamos to surrender the FDH Cup and 3-1 to Mafco in the league in the back-to-back weeks.

Kabwe earlier told FARPost that he is Wenger’s protégé owing to his apprenticeship with the Gunners from 1998 to 2000.

“There is no doubt that Wenger had so much influence on my coaching career, and I owe the back-to-back league titles I won in 2002 and 2003 back home with my childhood club, Zanaco, to what I learnt at Arsenal under Wenger,” the 62-year-old said.

The Zambian got his dream visit to North London courtesy of a director of Mhlume FC, a team he coached in Eswatini between 1994 and 2000.

The director facilitated Kabwe’s study visit to Arsenal using his connections as a shareholder at the Gunners. Kabwe was then studying for his Uefa B Licence.

Kabwe also coached Lusaka Dynamos and the Chipolopolo.

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