Bullets fear players’ fatigue
Nyasa Big Bullets fear that their players included in Flames squad will be hit by fatigue since the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and CAF Champions League preliminaries fall in the same period.
Flames coach Meck Mwase has called goalkeeper Ernest Kakhobwe, defender Gomezgani Chirwa and midfielder Chimwemwe Idana for the World Cup qualifiers against Cameroon on September 3 in Yaounde and Mozambique four days later at Orlando Stadium in South Africa.
Bullets will play in South Africa’s DStv Premiership outfit AmaZulu FC on September 10 in the first leg of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League in the rainbow nation.
The People’s Team chief executive officer Suzgo Nyirenda said the club is concerned that the trio risk burn out.
He said: “We are concerned that our players may be affected in terms of fatigue as they have played more games than players from other clubs. We need to manage our players.”
Nyirenda said they will engage Football Association of Malawi (FAM) on the possibility of resting the players and featuring them when it is absolutely necessary.
“We believe in dialogue and we will engage FAM on such matters,” he said.
FAM competitions and communications director Gomezgani Zakazaka said they will discuss with Bullets on the way forward.
He said: “The Flames will leave for Cameroon on August 30 and play the match in Yaounde on September 3. The team will leave for South Africa to play Mozambique on September 7.
“The good thing is that Bullets are playing their first leg away in South Africa as well. So, their players can remain in South Africa to recover. But Bullets will let us know how to go about it.”
But football analyst Kevin Moyo feared for the players’ health, saying it is a catalyst for loss of form since players are just back from the recent Cecafa Kagame Cup where they finished as runners-up.
After returning from Tanzania, Bullets only rested a day before travelling to Lilongwe where they lost to Silver Strikers in the FDH Bank Cup quarter-finals.
Two days later, they were on the road again to Mzuzu where they lost to Moyale Barracks and drew against Mzuzu Warriors in the TNM Super League.
“In three weeks the team has played eight games and in four weeks they will play 10 games. Will the team manage fatigue before AmaZulu? This is food for thought for our football officials in the country going forward,” said Moyo.
But it is not just fatigue that Bullets is concerned with. They also want to be with their players during the CAF Champions League camp.
