Cold reception for the Malawi Queens
The Malawi Queens team arrived from New Zealand on Tuesday to a cold reception as no government official was at Kamuzu International Airport to welcome them.
The beleaguered Queens, who lost all their games at the just-ended Fast5 tournament, spent close to an hour at KIA lawns before a Sports Council bus came to pick them up.
This is in contrast to Queens’s previous arrivals where senior government officials, including the ministers, PSs and directors could welcome the team.
Netball Association of Malawi (NAM) president Rosy Chinunda said there is nothing strange about Queens’ recent poor showing as such things happen in life.
“It is disappointing, of course, but we do not hold anything against government. They have always been there to support us,” said Chinunda.
Chinunda said NAM is looking at Queens’ performance positively.
“We went there with some inexperienced youngsters, but they performed extremely well considering the level of the tournament. We lost, but the youngsters had a feel of the game at the big stage. We did not have Mwawi Kumwenda, Joyce Mvula and Tina. It is not easy at that level,” she said.
One of Queens’ major sponsors, Airtel Malawi, said they still fell happy with the team although it did not win any game.
“For everyone who watched the games, the girls were not that bad. It shows there is future for the team. Airtel will continue to support them. We will be there for our Queens. You cannot always expect great things. There is time for building the team,” said Airtel public relations officer Edith Tsilizani.
Meanwhile, Queens coach Mary Waya has rubbished suggestions that the absence of star shooter Mwawi Kumwenda contributed to the team’s poor showing in New Zealand where the Queens lost all their six matches.
“We do not depend on one player, netball is a team game and not a particular individual’s game. We selected 15 players and only 12 showed up. We had to do with those that were available.
“We took players that were committed to serve their country. Mwawi had her own personal issues and chose not to report for national duty and, as such, we could not force her to join the team,” said Waya.
She also defended her charges, saying although they lost all the games, their performance was not disappointing.
Mwawi excused herself from the event, saying it coincided with her trip to South Africa for a toothache treatment.
However, she admitted in an interview with The Nation on Monday that at the time the games were being played, she was at her home village in Mzimba to see her mother.
Mwawi also refused to comment on suggestions that her absence might have contributed to the Queens’ poor showing in New Zealand.
