Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has defended US club Kansas City (KC) Current’s decision to feature their Malawian star Temwa Chawinga after being ruled out of the ongoing Fifa Series 2026 in Kenya due to injury.
The reigning National Women’s Soccer League Most Valuable Player and golden boot winner featured for KC Current when they beat CPKC 6-1 on Sunday to retain the Teal Rising Cup.
Temwa netted the fifth goal in the 43rd minute before being substituted at half-time.
But her appearance sparked controversy on some social media platforms with others questioning why she is able to play for her club when she was declared unfit to be part of the Scorchers’ squad for the Fifa Series.
But in an interview yesterday, FAM operations director Gomezgani Zakazaka said following discussions with her club, it was agreed not to include her in the Scorchers squad “as part of managing her recovery process”.
He said: “Her club was ready to release her for national duty, but they suggested that considering that her recovery was still being assessed, it would be advisable for her not to make the long trip.
“It was, therefore, agreed that she should not be included in the [Scorchers] squad. You might have noted that even in the latest match, she only played for 45 minutes. That is part of managing her recovery.”
Temwa could not be reached for her comment, but her manager Theana Msolomba said: “The team would be in a better position to respond on why or how Temwa was featured.”
The club’s coach Chris Armas was quoted by The Athletic last week as having said they needed to be cautious on how they manage Temwa’s return from the injury which sidelined her for six months.
Temwa spiced up her return last week by setting up her Btazilian teammate Debinha for the equaliser as they came from behind to beat Gotham FC 2-1 in a league match.
She suffered an adductor injury in October last year and missed several crucial matches for both club and country, including the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations final qualification round against Angola.
