SILENCE—Chaula
When Karen Chaula picked up a training job for the then Super League facet Ntopwa Football Club, little did she know that she could be trekking in a thorny path full of harmful wolves that might be barking to push her out of the male-dominated subject, Malawi News Sport can reveal.
Chaula, who then was holding a Caf C teaching badge, made headlines when she turned the primary feminine coach to take cost of a males’ facet in Malawi’s prime flight league in 2022.
However, alongside the way in which, Chaula spent sleepless nights as a result of intimidating ambiance and ceaseless insults.
Just when she thought she had discovered her dream job, following an unlikely breakthrough into the male-dominated subject, she noticed the longer term crumbling proper in entrance of her eyes.
“I had always fancied coaching a men’s team in the top flight league. When I was appointed Ntopwa coach, it came as a surprise and too soon but I accepted the offer because, for me, it was a dream come true,” Chaula recollects.
Chaula thought she had garnered sufficient expertise to deal with a senior males’s workforce following her earlier engagements with junior male sides; Ntopwa Under-20 from 2019 to 2020 and Angaliba Under-17 from 2017 to 2018.
“I accepted the offer because I wanted to prove that whatever men can do a woman also can.
“Besides, I had been involved with junior football sides for males. I thought experience was enough preparatory ground for the Super League. So out of 16 Super League coaches, I was the only lady,” she mentioned.
However, Chaula quickly discovered that it was not a simple journey to educate within the Super League as supporters repeatedly taunted and bullied her.
“Life in the Super League was not as easy as I thought. Some quarters, especially supporters, were bullies. I remember that during my first assignment, we travelled to Karonga and at almost every roadblock people and police officers were curious to see me following my appointment as the first female coach in the Super League.
“But at the venue it was a different case, with supporters standing behind our technical area. The insults were just too much and, from their words, I could feel as if I was being undressed,” she mentioned.
While acknowledging that almost all coaches and Super League gamers have been supportive, Chaula recollects a peculiar scenario when a male coach [name withheld] allegedly bullied her on the touchline throughout Ntopwa’s project in Mzuzu.
“I would be lying if I say that every coach and opposing players were after me. In most cases, the coaches and players were friendly.
“But very few players and officials were sarcastic while I was on duty. However, the most demeaning and shameful incident happened at Mzuzu Stadium when the coach [name withheld] insulted me without mercy. My only concern was on officiation. I asked the referee to be fair but the coach vented his anger and frustration on me. What was more demoralising and painful was that the referee and other match officials ignored the incident while their bench did not even stop him from showering me with insults,” she recollected.
Chaula mentioned she didn’t take the matter additional as her focus was on serving to Ntopwa survive relegation, a mission which resulted in useless.
“I was working hard to get the team out of trouble. As such, I decided against lodging an official complaint because I thought it was going to divide my attention. Nevertheless, the scenes were ugly, intimidating and discouraging,” she mentioned.
The incidents have been a transparent violation of the rights of girls as Fifa statutes and rules embrace provisions that promote gender equality and ladies’s participation in soccer actions.
However, Super League of Malawi (Sulom) Vice General Secretary Donnex Chilonga mentioned it was tough to touch upon the problem within the absence of an official grievance.
“Take note that these allegations have not been formally brought to the attention of Sulom. So, it may be difficult to say what Sulom can do,” Chilonga mentioned.
Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre Director Emma Kaliya mentioned it was pitiful that Chaula was subjected to degrading circumstances.
“She was not supposed to be treated that way. It is not surprising that we do not have a woman in the senior men’s league coaching a team. Men are everywhere, dominating.
“This is because there are no deliberate efforts to train women. Sports, and football in particular, is still a male-dominated sector. I appreciate those that have gone ahead to break the ceiling like the Chawinga sisters and some women referees,” Kaliya mentioned.
She conceded that gender activists had been paying a blind eye to points surrounding ladies’s rights within the sports activities sector.
“We need to assess the situation in the sports sector because it will help us to address the issue of violence against women in the public sector,” she mentioned.
Kaliya faulted males for monopolising and blocking ladies from money-generating alternatives within the sports activities trade.
In our analysis, we established that there are 29 feminine groups, with 10 every in leagues within the Southern and Northern areas, whereas the Central Region has 9 golf equipment.
Out of those groups, solely two ladies are head coaches at their respective golf equipment, with 5 serving as assistant coaches.
In the Southern Region Women’s Football Association, FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Women have Maggie Chombo-Sadik as their head coach whereas Creck Sporting Club, who play beneath the Central Region Women’s Football Association, have Chisomo Nkhoma on the helm.
The 5 ladies assistant coaches are Linda Kasenda (Civil Service United Women), Sungeni Msiska (Mighty Wanderers Women), Chrissy Kasiya (Silver Strikers), Patricia Makwakwa (Fact Women) and Hannah Jere (Ekwendeni).
National Coaches Football Association Chairperson Aubrey Nankhuni mentioned they accommodate ladies who’re passionate and keen to take up teaching jobs.
“Much as we would like to train more women, we cannot accommodate anyone. We need those that are passionate to attend the courses to realise their coaching dreams,” Nankhuni mentioned.
However, Football Association of Malawi General Secretary Alfred Gunda mentioned the affiliation had a method of defending the rights of all stakeholders, ladies inclusive.
“Football promotes safeguarding in sports and we have trained safeguarding officers who are included in all teams. [We are also doing something] in that we have a procedure for reporting incidents perceived, or indeed being construed, as infringements on rights and this is for both women and men as well as youth systems of the game.
“All humans have rights and have to be protected the same way at all times in the space of football,” Gunda mentioned.
Currently, Chaula holds a Caf B teaching badge and is assured of returning to the lads’s elite league.
“The lessons I learnt were valuable and great. I hope I will return to coach and win trophies with some elite men’s teams,” she mentioned.