Lawrence Waya made a name for himself as a mainstay of the Malawi men’s football team in the 1980s, and after his retirement, he made a successful transition into the administration of the game.
“Nobody knew that I could make it in coaching until I started working for the Football Association of Malawi (Fam) as an Administrative Officer,” Waya told CafOnline.com.
“After retiring from football, I did a few jobs here and there in Blantyre. One time, I saw an advert that Fam was looking for an administration officer, I applied and I was successful during interviews.
“It was while working for Fam that there arose an opportunity to coach the national school’s team which was then bound for a tournament in Zambia and I took it up. When I came back, Fam sent me to the United Kingdom for a Uefa B Coaching License and I was eventually made the Under-17 national team head coach.”
So popular was Waya during the playing days that he was often cheered on by opposing fans and at one time some fans even went ahead to nickname him Lule after then Uganda President Yusuf Lule after his exploits during a Senior Challenge Cup tournament where he was named best player.
Despite his individual success, Waya did not achieve great heights with the Malawi men’s football team.
“Apart from the 1984 qualification, we never made it to any other Afcon [Africa Cup of Nations]. But we had done well and won some regional trophies like the Senior Challenge Cup in 1988 and bronze medal at the All Africa Games which were hosted in Kenya in 1987.
“We also nearly qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 1990, before a 1-0 loss to Egypt in the penultimate match of the group stage ut came short at the final hurdle after losing 1-0 to Egypt.”
The sixth child of 11 comes from a family rich in sporting talent, with his three brothers having played alongside him in the national team while his sisters played netball.
“It was a good experience but it was never rosy. My elder brothers would encourage me and keep me going even at times when I thought of not attending training after a difficult game when the two of them would shout at me. But that experience helped me to understand that football is a team sport.”
In partnership with ANA and Sports Leo
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