Tabitha loses boots’ bet to Kenyan star

Malawi women national football team’s 3-0 loss to Kenya’s Harambee Starlets in a 2020 Tokyo Olympics qualifier on Sunday turned into a double loss for captain Tabitha Chawinga who parted with her boots after losing a bet she made with her opposite number Mwanahalima Dodo Adam.

The China-based striker and Thika Strikers starlet agreed that the one on the losing side would hand over her pair of boots after the match and Dodo scored a brace as Kenya overturned the tables to win 5-3 on aggregate.

Malawi thought they were home and dry after a 3-2 victory at Kamuzu Stadium in which Chawinga scored a brace.

However, the odds turned against Chawinga and her team-mates at Machakos when Mwanahalima struck twice in the second half to add onto a first-half goal by Cynthia Shilwatso.

After the match, Chawinga immediately unlaced her Nike boots and handed them to Dodo.

Mwanahalima, however, conceded that Malawi was not easy to beat.

“It was a tough game because Malawi is not an easy side. We had planned for them after what we saw in the first leg and we executed our plan well. I am happy also to have scored a brace, but not very excited because, as a striker, that is my job,” the striker, who also scored in the first leg at Kamuzu Stadium, was quoted by www.nation.co.ke of Kenya.

Chawinga said Kenya were deserved winners, noting her side was punished because of mistakes.

“That is how football is. You make mistakes and you are punished. We have to do better as a team next time. We were not well organised and all of us didn’t give enough effort. Kenya is a good team and they have so much depth,” she said.

“I have played against some of the players before at Cosafa [Cup] and only like three players are still in the team. They have so many new faces, but still they are a very strong team. Unlike us, we have just had the same team,” added the forward.