Malawi will not field a women’s football team at the 11th edition of the African Union Sports Council (Ausc) Region 5 Youth Games scheduled for July in Namibia.
This is despite the women’s football team camping three times since 2024 in preparation for the Games.
The draw for the tournament was held on Monday and the Malawi women’s football team was not included.
Only the boys’ team, drawn in Group A alongside hosts Namibia, Angola and Zimbabwe will participate.
The other Group B has reigning champions South Africa, their old foes Zambia, E-swatini and Botswana. The top two teams in each pool advance to the semi-finals.
In the women’s tournament, the teams are Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, E-swatini and Angola.
In a statement issued yesterday, Malawi National Council of Sports chief executive officer Henry Kamata suggested that the women’s team is not ready for the tournament.
Reads the statement in part: “Team Malawi has undergone three rigorous training camps to sharpen the skills of our athletes and enhance our competitiveness at the Games.
“The first camp was conducted in August 2024, the second in December 2024, and the third in April 2025.
“Following a careful and comprehensive assessment process, Malawi will compete in the following sporting codes at the Games: team sports: football [boys], netball, volleyball [boys and girls], and basketball [boys]; individual sports: athletics, para-athletics, special Olympics, swimming, boxing, karate, judo, lawn tennis, table tennis and e-sports.”
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) competitions and communications director Gomezgani Zakazaka in an interview said they have not yet been briefed on the reason behind the women’s football removal from the tournament.
He said: “We have been in camp all along. We will try to find out what has happened.”
Women’s football was among 14 sports codes that recently camped at Blantyre Teachers Training College for two weeks from April 13 to 25.
The 14-day camp featured about 300 athletes from football, netball, volleyball, basketball, lawn tennis, table tennis, e-sports, boxing, swimming, karate, judo, athletics, Special Olympics and para-athletics (visually impaired).
Meanwhile, Malawi will face Angola in Under-16 boys’ basketball while the Under-19 netball team has been drawn in Group A alongside E-swatini, Zambia and South Africa.
Malawi beach volleyball team has been paired with Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana and Zambia while in indoor women’s volleyball, the team is in pool A alongside hosts Namibia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.
Indoor men’s volleyball team will face Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe while the beach volleyball team will face Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The statement further said they are confident that team Malawi will excel at the Games.
