Former Kaizer Chiefs defender and assistant coach Patrick Mabedi has confirmed that he has been flooded with offers from the PSL but it is unlikely that he will take one of them.
The potential refusal from Mabedi not to take one of these offers is because he said he wants to build a foundation for the Malawi national team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers that begin in November.
Mabedi, one of the stars of Chiefs in the early 2000s under Muhsin Ertugral’s side that won the Mandela Cup in 2001 and then named Team of the Year in the same year, was appointed by Malawi a few months ago on the caretaker basis until September.
The former Moroka Swallows defender took over from Mario Marinica, who Malawi FA fired after they failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in March.
“On the national team, we need to put it in the pocket because we don’t have a future tomorrow,” said Mabedi.
“There are a couple of offers from the PSL that have come to me for my service and the FA, we don’t know. It is difficult to say now because in football things can change in a short period of time.
“I won’t be able to respond at this time but we will see how things go. I don’t know what the FA is thinking and let’s wait and see.”
Mabedi, who won two league titles and a range of other domestic cups with Chiefs, was Steve Komphela’s assistant coach at Amakhosi in 2017 but Komphela was let go on 21 April 2018 after Chiefs were beaten by Free State Stars in the Nedbank Cup semi-final at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The following season Mabedi was appointed as Giovani Solina’s assistant and then Black Leopards’ assistant and caretaker but didn’t last long.
Mabedi was asked which one is more attractive to him – coaching the national team or coaching at club level, but he sounded like the national team is his preference.
“That is a very good question,” replied to iDiski Times.
“For me this project that I have now (with the national team), I think it is so important. You can’t start the house and run away, that is not fair.
“I think it is important for these young ones to be with them as long as I can. It is important that I need to make sure these kids reach their goals and achieve whatever they need to achieve.
“I would love to see these kids reach their goals and I think it is also important for me to get more exposure on the international front because club level I have been there and I know what it is. I think the serious business and privilege will be to help the national team and that is good then to a club level.”
Mabedi was part of Malawi as an assistant that reached the AFCON round of 16 finals in Cameroon last year, where they were stopped by World Cup semi-finalists Morocco.
