Editors PickNational Sports

Blantyre Zero, ATU Ladies merge for FAM Cup

Blantyre Zero (in yellow) take on ATU Ladies in last year’s contest
Blantyre Zero (in yellow) take on ATU Ladies in last year’s contest

Women soccer giants Blantyre Zero have merged with their youth side ATU Ladies FC to deal with the inadequacy of junior players in their squad ahead of the Fifa/FAM Under-20 Women Football Cup.

The two sides contested separately during last year’s FAM Cup, but according to ATU Ladies’ coach Karen Chaura, they cannot afford to do the same in this year’s event where Zero have been seeded for the Southern Region quarter-finals.

“We have thought of working as one team in the FAM Cup after realising that Zero had insufficient number of players within the under-20 age group. However, we will separate again after the competition,” said Chaura.

“The move also aims at testing some players that are expected to be promoted to the senior side.”

Few weeks ago, the National Women Football Committee (NWFC) disqualified Blantyre Zero’s star Pilirani Malora from this year’s FAM Cup for alleged age-cheating and they are still finding out whether her teammate Ruth Tambala as well falls into that trap.

NWFC noted that records at the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) indicate Malora is 21 and not 19 as her current passport shows.

The inquiry into the ages of the two former national team players was initiated after King’s Ladies FC and Dreams United complained during an age-vetting exercise at the BAT Ground in Blantyre recently.

The two sides petitioned FAM and NWFC, arguing Malora and Tambala were overaged because they registered as 19-year-olds three years ago at Cosafa Championships in Zimbabwe.

The FAM Cup begins with preliminary games this Saturday with Southern Region encounters between Ntopwa Super Queens and Jacaranda at Bangwe Youth Centre in Blantyre. According to Southern Region Women Football Committee (SRWFC) general secretary Emmaculate Chiwaya, Evirom Sisters will take on Dreams United at Chilunga Ground in Ndirande, Blantyre.

Related Articles

Back to top button