Jnr Scorchers set for debut
Malawi Under-17 women’s football team will this afternoon host South Africa in the opening match of the Cosafa Under-17 Women’s Championship at Bingu National Stadium (BNS) in Lilongwe.
The tournament is part of the Africa Union Sports Council (Ausc) Region 5 Youth Games.
The team’s coach Trevor Kajawa on Wednesday said despite being their first-ever international match, his charges are not under pressure.
He said: “We are debutants, yes, but we are not under pressure. Ours is a tough group on paper, but on the pitch we are more than ready to win each game.”
The coach also said he is buoyed by the team’s impressive performance in training matches against top women’s football clubs.
The team won three of their four local friendlies. They beat Blue Eagles women’s team 4-0, Ntopwa Super Queens 4-1 and Hard knockers 5-1 before going down 2-1 to Southern Region champions Nyasa Big Bullets women’s team, formerly Blantyre Zero.
“We have great talent that can beat any team in the competition. However, I have told the girls not to be complacent, but give their all as we embark on our historic journey in Cosafa,” Kajawa said.
Junior Scorchers captain Rose Kabzele, a Lilongwe-
based Ascent Academy midfielder, said they are determined to make history.
She also urged the home fans to throng the BNS and give them the much-needed morale.
“We want to win against South Africa. It will be tough game because we know we are facing a good side, but we will give it our best as we want good results being the hosts,” Kabzele said.
Other key players for the Junior Scorchers include Carolyn Mlezo of Bullets, Faith Chimzimu of Ascent Academy, Olivia Phikani of Ntopwa and Linda Manda of DD Sunshine.
On the other hand, South Africa have competed in all the three previous editions.
The Junior Scorchers are in Group A alongside South Africa and Namibia. The other group has defending champions Zambia, Botswana and Comoros. Top-two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.
After today’s match, Malawi face Namibia in their last group clash on Monday.
The Cosafa Under-17 Women’s Championship was first held in 2019 in Mauritius where Uganda emerged champions. Tanzania won the second edition in South Africa in 2020 before Zambia took the ultimate glory in Lesotho last year.
