Mkanda, Dave cherish CAF action

Flames midfield workhorse Dave Banda and out of favour striker-cum-midfielder Zicco Mkanda have described their CAF club competitions debuts last weekend as a big boost to their careers.

The two were the only Malawian players in action at the start of the 2012 continental club competitions—the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup.

Banda started and played for 70 minutes for his South African club Black Leopards, as they drew 1-1 with Zimbabwe’s Motor Action in the Confederation Cup on Sunday. Mkanda played for the whole game as his Mozambican side Liga Maculmana beat Mafunzo FC of Zanzibar 2-0 in the first round, first leg of the Champions League.

Leopards gave away a 1-0 lead four minutes from time to allow Action score a crucial equaliser, but Banda believes they will win in Zimbabwe in the return leg in two weeks’ time.

“It was my wish to play in the club championship and it felt so good playing on Sunday,” he said.

Mkanda, who last played for the Flames in 2009, said the experience will help him build a strong character of competing against the best.

“It is really a dream come true to play football against champions of other African countries. It is an additional experience to my soccer career and I am happy for this,” said Mkanda.