Mwase to focus on fitness

Flames coach Meck Mwase says he will focus on improving players’ physical fitness as the national football team starts camp training today in Blantyre.

The Flames are preparing for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations’ (Afcon) back-to-back qualifiers against Burkina Faso’s Stallions and the Cosafa Cup.

Said the Flames gaffer in an interview yesterday: “The local and Mozambique-based players have been inactive for close to nine months and, as such, we will have to concentrate on improving their physical condition.

“Nine months is a long time for a player to be inactive and even though they might have been involved in individual work-outs, they cannot be in good shape.”

He said they will be having three training sessions per day.

“It’s not going to be easy, but gradually they [players] will pick up,” said Mwase.

He also said he does not expect foreign-based players to join the squad until the week beginning October 5 to 13 which will be for Fifa international friendly matches.

“The good thing is that all the foreign-based players have been active lately,” said the coach.

On Saturday, Mwase named a 32-member squad which will be camping at Mpira Village in Chiwembe Township.

Flames stand-in captain John ‘CJ’ Banda said after such a lengthy break, it is only proper that the focus should be on improving physical fitness.

“Of course, ball work will also be important as we have not played competitive football for a long time, but it is only ideal that the first step should be to work on our fitness levels,” he said.

Football Association of Malawi president Walter Nyamilandu said the association is overjoyed with the approval of national team camp training.