Scorchers cry out for support

The Scorchers are keeping their fingers crossed  that their meeting with President Lazarus Chakwera today will help sort out problems they face in their favourite sport.

The players have since suggested that they would appreciate if the government constructed a house for each player as a reward for their historic win of the Cosafa Women’s Championship on Sunday.

Their feat comes 35 years after Malawi football last won a meaningful trophy through the men’s East and Central Africa Senior Challenge Cup in 1988. 

Malawi national women’s football team stand-in captain Temwa Chawinga said this on Monday at Sunbird Mount Soche in Blantyre after Minister of Youth and Sports Uchizi Mkandawire notified them about their first encounter with the country’s First Citizen at the State House in Lilongwe.

“As women football players, we have so many problems we feel will become history after we meet the President. In spite of that, we believe it will be a great motivation if the government, with the President’s directive, construct houses for us. This will forever remind us of this historic win,” she said.

The China-based striker, who bagged both the Player of the Tournament and the Golden Boot awards at the Cosafa contest, also said there is need for more financial support to help the compete in various competitions that can open more doors of opportunities for local players.

This year, the Cosafa event was the only tournament the Scorchers participated in after pulling out of other prestigious competitions such as the Women’s African Cup of Nations and the Olympics Qualifiers due to lack of funds.

To participate at the Cosafa event, the Scorchers relied on the generosity of Prophet Shepherd Bushiri through his Goshen City Foundation, according to Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president Walter Nyamilandu.

“We had exhausted all the funding for international events until a glimmer of hope appeared through Goshen City, which offered to pay the team’s air-tickets and other stuff.

“We pulled out of a number of tournaments and we were about to do the same with Cosafa Cup,” he said.

“I do not think we could be talking about the Scorchers’ historic feat at Cosafa without Goshen City’s assistance.

“We have nurtured this baby single-handedly for a long time but we need the support from the corporate to go further as the team has passed the litmus test.”

Nyamilandu said Scorchers players will get extra K1 million each on top of their already existing allowances and game bonuses as a token of appreciation bringing home the Cosafa Cup trophy.

The players are already entitled to K1 million game bonus each, K200 000 per game for five-straight wins, and $1 500 (about K1.7 million) external bonus.

Director of sports Jameson Ndalama said the players request will be looked into.