Under-20 face SA, Mtawali drops 7
The Malawi Under-20 national soccer team will play a build-up match against South Africa’s Amajita, tomorrow afternoon at Nike Centre in Soweto, Johannesburg, to tune up for next Friday’s Africa Youth Championship first-round return leg against Botswana in Gaborone.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) competitions officer Gomezgani Zakazaka yesterday confirmed the international friendly match alongside team coach Ernest Mtawali at a press briefing held in Blantyre.
Zakazaka said the Junior Flames are scheduled to fly out this morning to Johannesburg and will proceed to Gaborone on Monday.
Mtawali described the development as a big boost, saying: “We are happy that we will have a chance to gauge ourselves when we line up against South Africa who are the reigning champions of the Cosafa Under-20 Championship. So, we are hopeful that the match will help us tune up for Botswana.”
Mtawali has since dropped seven players who featured in the first leg at Kamuzu Stadium a fortnight ago. The dropped
players are Andrew Banda, Brian Phiri, Anthony Kaipa, Abraham Kamwendo and Max Salambula who were in the starting line-up. Peter Chembe and Bongani Kuzisanja who were thrown in as substitutes have also been dropped.
Mtawali said those dropped are not bad players, but the coaches had to go for players that suited their tactical plans for the second leg.
He said on the local scene, the team played and won four training games against Azam Tigers (1-0); Nchalo United (3-1); Chikwawa United (1-0) and Mighty Wanderers (2-0).
Mtawali has won two of three international competitive games that he has been in charge and drawn the other. In 2008, he was in charge when the Junior Flames beat Burundi 1-0 away, but the Junior Flames were still eliminated after going down 1-2 in the first leg at home.
He was also the caretaker coach, when the Flames won 1-0 against Namibia in Windhoek last year in a 2014 World Cup qualifier.
