Flames coach Kallisto Pasuwa dropped some players from the squad which faced Ethiopia in international friendlies recently because they sneaked out of camp and brought women into their rooms during the Four-Nations Tournament in Francis Town, Botswana in March.
This came to light when Southern Region Football Association executive committee met Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Fleetwood Haiya in Thyolo last Saturday.
A member of the South FA confided in Weekend Nation that during the meeting, they sought the FAM boss’ explanation on why a number of players were dropped from the squad.
Said the official: “He [Haiya] explained that the reason the coach gave that he wanted to give other players a chance was just diplomatic as the real reason was that some of the players sneaked out of camp and returned drunk while others even sneaked women into their rooms.
However, he also said not all players were dropped on disciplinary grounds as some were left out due to slump in form and injuries.
“The FAM president said that was unacceptable and it was decided that they should be dropped. He further said some of the players will be recalled while others will not. We understood his explanation because indiscipline should not be tolerated.”
At the Four-Nations Tournament, the Flames finished last after losing 9-8 to Zambia’s B side on post-match penalties following a goalless draw in regulation time.
Malawi also lost 1-0 in the third-place play-off against a predominantly youthful Botswana side.
Haiya had not responded to our questionnaire at press time yesterday neither did Pasuwa.
FAM operations director Gomezgani Zakazaka last week asked for more time to consult before reverting with a comment, but at press time yesterday, he had not reverted.
But justifying the exclusion of the players at the time, the coach said he wanted to assess more players ahead of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers which kick off in September.
“We are playing the last two games before we start Afcon qualifiers. So, we thought these players that we have called up can be the last lot to be assessed,” he said.
