FAM Sleeping: Scorchers and Flames’ Jersey Marketing Mess
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| Scorchers celebrating with FAM President (Middle) after scorching Ghana to reach the WAFCON Semis & Qualify for World Cup. Credits: FAM |
A country filled
with blackouts had its own poor and unpredictable men’s national team, the
Flames, to complete the country’s perfect equation of suffering. Surprisingly,
during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) held in Cameroon in 2022, the
Malawian boys filled with fire chose to abandon the country’s woes and warm the
hearts of their Phoenix family back home. As the team went further than many
expected, a problem of having enough jerseys for fans emerged. Years later, the
Malawi women’s football team, the Scorchers created an even bigger opportunity
for FAM, yet the jersey problem would return.
When the 2021 AFCON
tournament commenced, the country was dealing with blackouts, and the
frustration worsened when the team reached the knockout stages. The day of the
round-of-16 match against Morocco; the country had been recovering from a long
nationwide blackout. Questions were raised about whether the electricity
company (ESCOM) and government even cared about the country’s football,
especially since this was the first time the Flames had reached the knockout
stage. For the love of the game and the national team, people filled local
halls with power generators to watch the boys play the Moroccans.
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| Flames after qualifying for the R16 in AFCON 2021. Credits: pindula.zw |
Prior to the
Morocco game, people bemoaned the lack of football jerseys. An enquiry about the
availability of jerseys in the United Kingdom was made through the Football
Association of Malawi’s (FAM) marketing and communications personnel via WhatsApp.
The unfortunate part came in no time, and we missed the opportunity to have our
boys celebrated by many. With a friend, I again tried to reach Adidas, hoping
they had old kits despite the end of their partnership, but it was a dead end
as well. Friends from the UK also missed out on the kits.
As cursed as it
may sound, jerseys were unavailable even in Malawi when the demand was at its
peak. Some marketers unofficially questioned FAM’s marketing team about the
lack of timing. Later, FAM explained that production of the new kits and
replicas had been commissioned in China and Vietnam but production and shipping
delays, and Covid-19 related overseas shipping backlogs affected their arrival.
Whatever the cause, the timing meant that fans were denied an opportunity to
identify themselves with a team that was exceeding expectations while FAM also
lost a revenue opportunity.
Gabadinho Mhango celebrates with teammates after downing Zimbabwe at 2021 AFCON
We may joke that
the lack of jerseys lowered the boys’ morale and led to the loss against the
Moroccans. The boys left after the narrow defeat, but we felt they had done
more. They had created excitement around the country of fire flames, and that
excitement should have been matched by proper merchandise planning. The
disappointment therefore remains with FAM’s failure to have enough replicas
available when demand was high.
In a similar fashion, after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations commenced in Morocco. It was the first time for Malawi’s women’s team, the Scorchers to qualify. As a team that had missed previous editions due to funding and poor structures, expectations were not high especially after some difficult friendly results before the tournament. National television broadcaster, MBC did not beam the games until the tournament final games. The broadcasting situation also meant that many Malawians could not easily watch the matches, with SuperSport holding the rights to the tournament.
The team,
however, started on fire as it defeated tournament heavyweight Nigeria 3–2
before a narrow 2–1 loss to Zambia. The Scorchers then beat Egypt 3–1 to
progress to the knockout stage, and then beat Ghana and Algeria in the quarter and
semi-finals before losing three nil in the final against Cameroon to secure the
silver medal. This was after securing a World Cup place for reaching the
semi-final.
Living the dream: Scorchers beats Algeria to reach the WAFCON final. Credits: FAM
As it was with
the men’s impressive 2021 AFCON campaign, the issue of jerseys became the talk
of fans and other admirers of the team. The Scorchers gained more attention
across the globe. International football commentators, online creators and
supporters followed the team’s historic run. Yet the jerseys were not available
in sufficient quantities when the women were at the peak of their powers on the
African continent.
Fans wanted the
Chawinga sisters’ jerseys, those of Kadzere, Chimzimu, Mkandawire and other
players, as well as jerseys that could simply carry their own names or the uncostomised
ones to show their sense of an imagined moto-moto (fire-fire/hot-hot) community.
The demand was real. FAM’s marketing manager later acknowledged that the
Scorchers replicas had sold out shortly after the victory over “the great”
Nigeria. That should have been the clearest signal that the demand was not
going away. Instead, supporters were left asking where they could get the
jerseys and when more would be available. It suggested that the lessons from
the 2021 AFCON had not been fully absorbed.
The problem was
therefore not that Malawians were unwilling to buy the product. The problem was
that the product was not consistently available when the team was at the peak
of its powers, with fans’ excitement at an all-time high. When a national team
reaches a historic tournament final, beats one of Africa’s heavyweights and
attracts new supporters, it is sure that merchandise should be part of the plan
rather than an afterthought.
Screenshot: Some fans' reaction to the announced jersey fee on FAM FB Page. In Chewa, one fan complains that's more than their school fees
Now, after the WAFCON, the issue of jerseys has still not been fully resolved. FAM has announced that the Scorchers’ limited-edition jerseys will be available at Bingu National Stadium on matchday as the Scorchers play Zimbabwe in the first leg of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualifiers. The authentic replica jersey is priced at K100,000. That is not an “as high as” price, it is the stated price for the jersey. For comparison, standard tickets for the same match are K4,000 when bought online and K5,000 at the gate. The jersey therefore costs twenty to twenty-five times the price of an ordinary match ticket.
The price raises
another marketing question: who exactly is the product intended for? A
limited-edition jersey can be a premium product, but national-team merchandise
also depends on ordinary supporters being able to participate in the team’s
identity. The advert also does not clearly explain different supporter and
player versions which leaves questions about the range of products available to
fans.
What is particularly frustrating is that this is not the first time FAM has faced this problem. After the Flames’ successful 2021 AFCON campaign, official replicas also ran out of stock, while counterfeit jerseys appeared on the market. We certainly do not want the 2024 déjà vu of police arresting traders over counterfeit national team jerseys. When supporters want a product and the official market cannot provide it at an accessible price, someone else will try to meet that demand.
Spotted: Many fans without jerseys, only a few makeup in for the jerseys when Flames beat Sudan on 25/09/26 at Bingu National Stadium. Credits: FAM
We need those jerseys! Perhaps the bigger lesson for FAM should have been to make the official product available, affordable and easy to access. The demand is already there. It comes from the fans whom FAM claims to represent. The Flames and Scorchers have repeatedly created moments that bring Malawians together. Their performances create attention, pride and demand. FAM should be asking how that attention can be turned into stronger national-team branding and sustainable merchandise sales. The jerseys are not simply pieces of cloth to be released when there is a match. They are part of the identity of the team, and they belong in the hands of the supporters who keep the teams alive.
If the problem
is with the people responsible for marketing and procurement, perhaps they need
refresher courses. Or, if the problem is deeper than training, perhaps FAM
needs to make decisive changes. What Malawians should not have to do is
celebrate historic performances while struggling to buy the shirt of the team
they are celebrating.
This is just a
fiery fan who loves the Flames and Scorchers, and wants to see the Flames ablaze
and the Scorchers keep it burning. When the fire is this high, FAM should not be
sleeping...
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| The Dream: Scorchers taking on Africa before facing the World. Credits: FAM |
