FIFA President Gianni Infantino has cancelled his six hours of Malawi tour to launch the much publicized Mpira Stadium and FAM Academy at Mpira Village in Chiwembe townshp, Blantyre, due to the ongoing rehabilitation works on Chileka international airport in Blantyre.
The football Association of Malawi (FAM) said in a statement that the visit has been postponed until further notice.
FAM said it was not possible for the jet carrying the FIFA boss to land at Chileka.
“After carrying out a full assessment of the secondary runway, FIFA aviation at the last minute ruled that they couldn’t take a chance to land at Chileka Airport for safety reason,” FAM general secretary Alfred Gunda said in a statement.
Alternative arrangements to have the plane land at KIA in Lilongwe and use other means to transport the delegation to Blantyre were not successful due to the tight schedule of the FIFA President who was expected to arrive in the country at 2pm and depart at 7pm for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
FAM said it was collaborating with FIFA to reschedule the visit at an earliest convenient date.
Despite the disappointment, FAM said it was “sincerely grateful for the confidence that FIFA has shown in earmarking Malawi as one of the destinations for their next tour of Africa.”
FAM regretted for the inconvenience this cancelation has caused to soccer loving Malawians.
