The future of Mozambique’s national football team head coach, Chiquinho Conde, is delicately poised, with his contract officially set to expire on 31 January, placing one of the country’s most successful football figures in recent history on uncertain ground.

The Mozambican Football Federation (FMF) has formally notified Conde that his contract is coming to an end, while insisting it is under no pressure to make an immediate decision on whether to renew it. Yet beyond the federation’s headquarters, public debate is intensifying. Voices from across Mozambican society, including fans and sports analysts, are calling for his continuity following a landmark Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign that saw the Mambas reach the round of 16 for the first time in history.

In an effort to understand the unfolding situation, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Caifadine Manasse, convened a meeting with the FMF leadership to discuss the much-debated future of the national team’s technical bench. The meeting came at a sensitive moment, just days before Conde’s contract expires, and amid heightened public scrutiny.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports (MJD) was quick to clarify that the move does not constitute government interference in football affairs. Instead, he framed the meeting as part of broader strategic planning and the pursuit of improved results for the national team.

According to a statement from the ministry, quoted by local media, the meeting aimed to analyse strategic issues related to the national coach and the immediate future of the senior men’s team. It was held within the context of strengthening institutional coordination between the government and the FMF, with the stated goals of ensuring technical stability, transparency, strategic planning and improved sporting outcomes, in line with the expectations of Mozambicans.

The meeting took place on Thursday, 29 January, just one day after the FMF publicly confirmed that Chiquinho Conde’s contract would lapse on 31 January and announced the start of a recruitment process to appoint a national coach. The federation noted that the new appointment could include the current coach, should he meet the profile to be defined.

Speaking after the meeting, Paíto Mucuana, FMF Vice-President responsible for national teams, said the federation had briefed the ministry on the process underway concerning the future of the national side.

“We had to clarify the work that the Mozambican Football Federation has been doing,” Mucuana said. “The issue of the national coach’s contract has concerned many Mozambicans and it concerns us too, because as a federation we want to have our coach. It is important for us.”

He added that the government, as the federation’s main partner, had listened to the FMF’s explanations and showed clear alignment with the development of sport in the country.

“We are in a phase of consultation, listening within this house, because our government is our biggest partner. This shows that the government is also committed to sport,” he said, stressing that the federation is working to present, as soon as possible, a clear path forward.

Mucuana also urged calm among supporters, noting that the FMF is handling the matter with caution.

“Coach Chiquinho has been with the national team for almost four years and has done good work. Now it is time to take stock,” he said. “We have not yet sat down with him to make that assessment. It is true that his contract expires in two days, but the people should remain calm. The federation is working and will find the best solution for Mozambican football.”

For its part, the Ministry of Youth and Sports reiterated that its role was limited to seeking clarification and understanding the procedures being followed by the FMF.

“We met with the Mozambican Football Federation as a partner,” said Hélder Jossias, National Director of Sport. “We needed to understand the steps and challenges the federation is currently facing. We recognise the results achieved in recent months, which are results we all must commend.”

Jossias underlined that the FMF remains an autonomous body and that the government fully respects that status.

“The federation is autonomous, and we respect that autonomy,” he said. “But it is also a partner of the government. Our role is to understand the plans, the next phases, and to monitor what lies ahead. This is not interference, but institutional coordination.”

Meanwhile, the FMF has assured the public that internal consultations and meetings are ongoing, with efforts focused on ensuring that the process concludes in a satisfactory manner.

As the clock ticks towards the end of Chiquinho Conde’s contract, the fate of the man who led Mozambique to unprecedented continental success remains undecided—balanced between continuity, expectation and the pressures of strategic decision-making at the highest level of the game.