Marinica leaves Malawi job after criticising fans

Malawi are hunting for a new head coach after announcing that Mario Marinica's contract will not be renewed.

The announcement comes just days after the Romanian hit out at Malawi fans following a 4-0 defeat to Egypt in Lilongwe, claiming they were more interested in supporting the Pharoah's "superstars" than the home players.

That defeat means Malawi now only have a slim chance of reaching next year's Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

At the previous tournament in Cameroon, Marinica, who initially took over as technical director in November 2021, guided the Flames to the last 16 for the first time in the country's history, where they were beaten 2-1 by Morocco.

A statement released by the Football Association of Malawi announced that, "by mutual consent, it has been agreed with Mr Mario Marinica not to enter into negotiations for renewal of his contract when it expires on 30 April 2023."

It also revealed that the 58-year-old will be "on scheduled annual leave" up until that date and thanked him for "bringing great joy and pride" to Malawi for their historic Afcon run in Cameroon.

This article originally appeared on BBC Sport

Photo: FA Malawi