Women football team gets Chawinga boost
Sweden-based Tabitha Chawinga will join the national women football team in camp on Sunday as Malawi starts preparations for their friendly against Botswana on December 10.
The team will camp on Monday at the Malawi National Council of Sports in Blantyre for three weeks before flying out to Gaborone where they will face Botswana.
National Women Football Association chairperson Siveria Chalira said Chawinga, who arrived in the country last Sunday, is great boost to a team which rarely plays international matches.
She said: “We are very glad to have her. She will inspire the other players. The fact that she is playing in Europe where she has won so many awards as an individual and also as a team member, is a great motivation to the girls. She can be the key to unlocking Botswana defence.”
Chalira said the friendly is motivation for up-and-coming players.
“We need international exposure. We can’t measure our development if we don’t play international games. The girls will now be motivated to commit themselves to women football knowing that there is a chance for them to play for the international football. We thank Football Association of Malawi (FAM) for brokering this friendly match,” she said.
The last assignment for the team was in November 2015 when they played Tanzania’s Twiga Stars.
FAM technical director John Kaputa said he has confidence in the current squad to be released tomorrow.
“The scouting of players has been an exhaustive process. We went to all the regions and we believe we have a good squad. It is important that we do well in Botswana,” he said. n
