John Banda out of Algeria game
One of the Flames’ leading scoring midfielders John Banda has ruled himself out of October 11’s home match against Algeria in the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations Group B qualifiers.
Banda, who has four goals in 22 caps, has failed to recover in time from a right ankle injury. His goal in a 1-0 home win over Benin enabled the Flames to proceed to the group stages through eventual post-match penalties.
“I was given three weeks for treatment and I am still undergoing physiotherapy at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH). The first week, I was going for treatment three times and the second week, twice,” said the Blue Eagles captain.
Banda has missed matches in Mali and home meeting with Ethiopia. He picked the injury in the build-up to the Mali trip.
In his absence, his elder brother Frank of Silver Strikers proved that scoring is in their family blood when he restored the lead for the Flames, calming the nerves and paving the way for a 3-2 win over Ethiopia.
“It pains to miss the next match again. I always want to be part of the squad. As for my club, I am happy that the rest of the guys are working hard to put us on top of the TNM Super League. I have no doubt that this is our turn to win the league championship as five of the remaining eight games are at home,” Banda said.
Last week, Flames coach Young Chimodzi said he was expecting to visit the Eagles camp to get an update on John Banda’s injury.
“It is encouraging to have brothers delivering the goods. Both are hard workers. It reminds me of the Malunga brothers Kennedy and Holman,” noted Chimodzi.
