Flames coach Kallisto Pasuwa has said he does not favour his former club FCB Nyasa Bullets in team selection.
He was responding to a question during a press conference in Blantyre on Thursday on the dominance of Bullets players in the Malawi National Football Team since he took over.
Pasuwa included eight Bullets players in the Flames’ squad that participated at the 2025 Cosafa Cup, namely Blessings Mpokera, Yankho Singo, Chikumbutso Salima, Chawanangwa Gumbo, Richard Chimbamba, Wongani Lungu, Oscar Petro and Andrew Jovinala.
Said Pasuwa: “Yes, I am wearing a face of being a former Bullets coach, but I am a professional and I am supposed to exercise professionalism.
“I am given two days of training and [in that period] you need to have combinations and if there are three players that combine well, you go for that.
“Another edge for Bullets is that they play in CAF Champions League. The other thing is that when these other teams have good players, they are bought by these big teams…The next thing you hear they are at [Mighty] Wanderers or at Bullets.”
On the team’s performance at the regional showpiece, the former Dynamos FC and Zimbabwe National Football Team coach said despite failing to register a win and scoring, the team did well.
Pasuwa said his focus is building a team that can qualify for 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
He said: “So, in building up a team, you, at times go into risk mode, where you need to see each and every player.
“We went [there] to compete, unfortunately, we didn’t win a game or even score a goal.
“But remember, we said we are trying to build a team [and] I can now easily say that I have players who can be part of the squad and those are some of the positives.”
Pasuwa also claimed that there were some fellow coaches who were impressed with the Flames’ performance and even thought that some of them play in Europe.
“We had some coaches, especially from Angola, asking how many of our players play in Europe, but we only had locally-based players. So, [these were some of the positives in terms of how these boys faired. It’s only that we didn’t get goals,”
On dropping some key local-based players for the tournament such as Alick Lungu, Lloyd Aaron and Nickson Mwase. the coach said: “We need to bear mind that we need youngsters for the future.
“And I thought maybe we had most of them [experienced players] in the Chan [African Nations Championship] squad, who played well, very positive in terms of playing structured football.
“People should understand that Lungu and Aaron were already spotted and these are among our regulars.”
However, football analyst George Chiusiwa, posting on his Facebook page said: “The indefinite, never-ending and continuous ‘we are building a new team’ song is now sickening and we are tired of petty excuses when the team falters. It’s crazy!
“Today, it is strange and laughable to hear the coach and FAM telling the nation that we have started ‘building a new team’ again. Until when will we lament like this? We can do better.
“Let us be honest for Malawi to meaningfully and genuinely transform and reorganise the game. Otherwise, we will continue groping in the dark.
“By the way, the football gods cannot smile at the Flames if we continue cheating ourselves and living in denial. We need to change our mindset and face the reality of our football in this country.”
At the Cosafa tournament, Malawi lost to Lesotho’s Likuaena and Angola’s Palancas Negras by 1-0 margins and drew against Namibia’s Brave Warriors 0-0 to anchor Group B.
