Scorchers lag behind in Afcon preparations
The Malawi women’s national football team is the only side yet to play a friendly match as part of preparations for the 2022 African Women’s Cup of Nations (Afwon) qualifiers that have just been shifted from next month to October.
The Scorchers, who started training on Sunday at Mpira Stadium in Blantyre, were on the verge of taking on neighbours Zambia in home-and-away Afwon qualifiers between June 7 and 15 before the Confederation of African Football (CAF) women’s football organising committee announced the postponement last week.
Apart from being inactive for the past six months, with their last international engagement being in November 2020 at the Cosafa Women’s Championship in South Africa, the McNelbert Kazuwa-coached side also recently dropped 19 places, to 149th, on the latest Fifa rankings.
Nevertheless, their counterparts, including Zambia, South Africa and Namibia have been engaging in strength-testing matches after the Cosafa event.
Zambia’s Copper Queens, who also made the grade for the imminent 2020 Tokyo Olympics, have been busy before and after the Cosafa event as they beat Chile 2-1 in a friendly in November, before losing 3-1 to South Africa’s Banyana Banyana earlier this month, and are set to meet Mozambique in another friendly next Friday.
Kazuwa yesterday said they desperately need an international friendly match before their Afwon assignments, because that will not only help them to be in good shape, but also assist them to improve their rankings.
He said the postponement of the Afwon qualifiers is a blessing to the team as it will give them ample time for thorough preparations, including an international friendly game
“As it stands, it will not be good for us to return to competitive action without gauging our strength with an international friendly match. We have been inactive for so long,” said Kazuwa.
Scorchers’ captain Tabitha Chawinga, who plays for Chinese top-flight league outfit Wuhan Jiangda alongside her
younger sister Temwa, said the Malawi women’s football national team needs to play a friendly against a strong team.
“Most of my compatriots have spent almost a year without playing football, and it will be hard to beat a team of Zambia’s calibre without first gauging our strength,” she said.
But Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu said it will not be possible for the Scorchers to play a friendly because of financial problems.
“At present, our coffers are dry and we are hopeful that government will come to our rescue,” he said.
Kazuwa named a 30-member squad that include five foreign players Tabitha, Temwa, USA-based Lughano Nyondo plus Zambia-based duo Chimwemwe Madise and Patricia Nyirenda, who have just signed for Lusaka Dynamos Ladies team.
