Football Association of Malawi (FAM) says the association has is set for the CAF African Schools Programme which was launched on Tuesday in Mozambique.
FAM president Walter Nyamilandu, who attended the launch presided over by Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe, said in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, they have identified the participating school teams.
He said: “CAF will provide technical and material support, including footballs to the participating schools through FAM.
“This tournament will bridge the gap of schools football since Copa Coca-Cola withdrew sponsorship in 2017.
“It will strengthen our development agenda from the grassroots and enable talented boys and girls to realise their full potential in football.
“We are, therefore, excited about developing a new generation of players from the schools where there is a lot of hidden talent.”
Participating countries are scheduled to hold their national competitions between March and July this year.
Zonal qualifiers will be held between September and December while continental finals will be staged in March 2023.
The tournament is fully sponsored by the Motsepe Foundation to the tune of $10 million (about K825 million).
According to cafonline.com, the African Schools Programme is a CAF development project that will exploit opportunities within football to holistically develop young African boys and girls.
FAM technical director Benjamin Kumwenda said Malawi was one of the first countries to register for the competition.
During the launch, Motsepe said the programme is a historic milestone and the first of its kind on the continent.
