WHICH FLAMES?
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| Flames players in red against Tanzania in blue: pic Nyasatimes |
I have had a sparing appearance in the public with
my writings on sports in Malawi for
a number of good reasons. At the back of my mind I thought perhaps sporting
activities would take advantage of this absence to rectify their misfortunes,
and maybe give me a positive angle in the subsequent articles. Unluckily, the
song is the same and obvious. Well, some members from my good audience, who I
love though, have taunted my preaching as being unrealistic, negative and
unpatriotic. Hahaha needless to say, opinions are subjective and free of charge;
you are all welcome but I will still speak like ‘The prophet of doom.’
It was on Wednesday 07th October 2015 when
I was taking a breather outside my home in one of the townships in Blantyre.
Not surprisingly, it was too hot as the sun had shown its full face being
summer in the southern hemisphere. Ironically to assume the scorching duty on
behalf of the Malawi football team, The Flames,
who were at the time failing to gut down the Taifa stars at Benjamin Nkapa stadium.
In no mean time two men passed by, and they were discussing
of something they just heard from the radio. Guess what, I was about to make a
mistake to join the conversation. Yes, the Flames had just conceded a second
goal. It was this ‘Street Talkshow’ point which reminded me that the Flames
from my beloved country were being hosted by Tanzania in the ongoing World Cup
qualifying campaign.
Apparently two sarcastic issues stood out from the
conversation. One man from the duo laughingly said ‘if in the first twenty four
minutes, and goals coming within a space of six minutes for that sake, the
Taifa stars are leading by two goals to nil at their own courtyard, how many goals
we should expect at ninety minute using Lewandowski
theory?’ ha-ha-ha lest we forget, Lewandowski
is a Bundasliga champions
willy-nilly goal scorer who netted five goals in nine minutes.
Then the other man also took to town. “Am told if
the Flames lose to Tanzania, the Dodoma will take over ownership of our Lake Malawi
too’; referring to the recent rage between the two countries over the lake
boundary.
At this mentioning of boundary dispute I felt
adrenaline gushing top. I then thought
at once, should I advise the coach to employ military football approach by naming
a squad of cadets only; who may have access to rifles to protect Malawi from
losing on two fronts. Yeah, like the Brazilian referee Gabreil Murta who pulled out a gun on the pitch following a row?...m-m-m-m
no my sports sermons have always advocated for peace among all the people as we
are one and equal in the eyes of the Creator. Anyway, discard all these mocks
because apparently I know they were made out of anger and frustration amid poor
performance from the football team which represents the country and many
citizens love.
In the evening of the same day, I went to buy
candles at the nearest Super market following another common poor performance
of electricity supplier. Here too,
the talk and discussions were about football digest specifically the loss of Nyasa boys in Tanzania. At this point I discovered something I would wish to
advise the Football Association of Malawi (FAM).
‘Next time
you want to employ coaches for the Flames please don’t bother. Just date the
evening which the Flames have lost a game and walk in the streets of townships
even in the villages, you will grab the best managers’. However, they are very
many and unfortunately unlicensed. Let alone, the team requires only one head
coach who has a good coaching license. These best black-market managers,
tacticians, pundits, and soccer lovers squashed the Mtawali led panel of novice, knows-it-all and window-shopping criterion
of team selection and tactics. Am not so
sure if what they call window-shopping meant experimental attitude of the
coaches for the team building project. At the core of these censures was
sidelining of who they call experienced players such as Joseph Kamwendo and Esau
Kanyenda, and recently caped Richard Chipuwa.
The fact is that people will always talk, criticize
and mudsling the coach’s ideas, team selection and tactics whenever the team
fails to give good result. This is regardless of whether the squad has
experienced players or youngsters only. Whatever people will say, trust me,
originates from poor results and not team formation or selection per se! If you
have a team of youngsters and beat Algeria the coach will be the hero. If you
have a team of experienced players only and fell off at the feet of Chad, the coach becomes the
villain…that’s normal though.
It is not too long when my longtime companion coach Jose Mourinho received criticism for
continued sidelining of Ex-Chelsea star currently trading at Manchester City, Kelvin Debryune. He, at one press
conference threatened to quit the session if journalists press on questions
about Kelvin and his first eleven selections. ‘The team only needs eleven players
to start. When I start with Kelvin you still ask why I have left Eden Hazad on bench. Another game when
I put Eden in the first eleven you still ask why Kelvin on the bench. So any
question about Kelvin, I will quit’ he told sports journalists while rolling
his eyes like should gallop somebody in the attendance. With arrogant-like
approach of Mourinho on this matter, and the team still started getting better
results, he retained his status as one of the best tactical coaches in EPL.
Likewise, it is not long when cries were heard in
the streets and media Talkshows of how badly the so called experienced players
were failing the Flames. Yes, my dear Kinnah
Phiri was criticized of using old guns whose shots had started failing to
yield results following poor performance in a spate of games. Forgot? Nooooo you don’t mean it. So the congregation has gone blank shortly
like this. Isn’t it so recent when the football faithfuls were crying foul of
how some big names at FAM were alleged to be influencing inclusion of certain
very old players in the squad even when their performance was below par?. Undoubtedly, we have recycled our newspapers
for tissues. I am afraid to be advocating for arrogance on the part of coaches.
Get me correct please!.. All I am saying is that team formation and selection
rest in your jurisdiction only Mr Coach!
It is just so shortly when sports pundits applauded Miracle Gabeya as being a promising
icon to lead Flames in the recent time. So he only existed for few weeks and
now he is gone out of favor? What a short lifespan if really you mean it. Equally,
am getting it tough to be educated on whom people are calling well experienced.
The same old players you are saying should be called back to assist the Flames
now, mind you, helped to brew sour juice just from 2011 to 2014. They recklessly
gave away goals to fail the National Team from qualifying for successive 2012
and 2014 Afcon tournaments,
unbelievably, with a toe distance from the winning line.
Have we forgotten the Chad incident?... It is no
secret that football experience comes with game time. If it wasn’t that the
said experienced players were given enough game time, surely, they couldn’t
have shined on the stage. Follow them in their respective clubs if they are
still out-shinning with recent reports that most of them are bench laden.
All being said and done, which Flames are we
talking? The same Malawi National
Football Team or it is the Malawi club.
Hahaha. In the subsequent article I will tell you five big sins of the Flames which attract such cursed performance.
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| Tanzania celebrating a goal against Malawi: pic Nyasatimes |
Now back to the game against the Dodoma boys. Whatever happened on
Wednesday’s loss in Tanzania or will happen in the return match on Sunday in
Malawi, here are few statistics to know. The head to head summary between the
Flames and Tanzania presents interesting facts and perhaps hope for the
forthcoming game on Sunday.
Malawi has hosted Tanzania seventeen times in all
competitions. The figures indicate that the Flames managed to win eight times,
draw eight times and lost only once. The
Flames have played in Tanzania six times before the Wednesday’s game. In all
those fixtures Malawi went on to lose two games and drew four. On neutral
venue, the Flames have won four of the nine games, drew three and lost two. On
aggregate, including the recent game, the two teams have played thirty three games
with The Flames winning twelve of
them, losing six and drawing fifteen (source http://.footballdatabase.eu/football.coupe.malawi.tanzanie.131147.en.html).
It is now clear what is possible to happen when the
two teams meet. Tanzania has done it again last Wednesday, repeating the
history of enjoying home ground results. It is now the Flames’ turn to prove
its history, too, of harnessing good results on home soil against the Taifa stars. However repeating football
history is not such easy. With the recent revolutionized form of Tanzania, it is a tall older for the
Flames who are yet to repent of the five sins I have promised to include in the
forthcoming articles.
So my question remains ‘which Flames? The then National Football Team which used to enjoy
the home ground advantage against the Taifa stars or the current Club. Sunday
11th October 2015 is the Judge. Take home assignment please, the
best result for the Flames can be a draw or one nil win but not with more than
two goals as is required of Malawi to proceed. Perhaps, yeah, we can only hope
that if the Flames can tailor in Lewandowski
on a 9 minute loan deal from Bayern.
hahahaha leave him alone after all his
coach is his Majesty Chancellor Pep Guardiola!
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