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FAM spoils flames

Flames players will each get K600 000 game bonus following the team’s qualification for the 2022 Qatar World Cup group stage.

The Flames made it to the group stage after a narrow 1-0 victory over Botswana’s Zebras in the second leg of the preliminary round at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Tuesday.

Flames players have pocketed special bonuses

The first-leg ended goalless in Francistown on Saturday and the Flames needed an outright victory to make it to the next round.

Normally, the Flames get K100 000 for a win and half the amount (K50 000) for a draw.

However, following Malawi’s qualification, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) decided to spoil the players with K500 000 each.

The players got K250 000 for each game while the other K100 000 is from FAM president Walter Nyamilandu.

“We considered the first leg that we drew as a win because if we had not drawn in that match, we couldn’t have qualified,” said Nyamilandu in an interview yesterday.

“I have supplemented the bonus by giving them my personal money [K100 000] each.”

Nyamilandu said he also gave Richard Mbulu another K100 000 for his outstanding performance in the second leg.

“I have given him the K100 000 because to me he was the man of the match,” he said.

Flames captain John ‘CJ’ Banda thanked FAM for the extra bonus, saying it will go a long way in motivating the players to work hard.

He also told the media that the Flames’ qualification is a therapy in the wake of several problems that Malawians are facing.

Apart from the political crisis, the country is also facing economic challenges.

Malawi, alongside other 13 winners from the preliminary round, will join will join 26 exempted teams in the group stage (second round) and will be divided into 10 groups of four teams each.

The group winners from this round will then qualify for the third round where they will be paired against each other and the winner will earn a ticket to the Qatar finals.

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