Greetings
to you all sports saints. Before the writer resumes the podium, allow him to
express sincere gratitude for the overwhelming feedback from the previous
article. Here are few announcements to make. Firstly, the author wishes to
encourage the audience to express their comments and views on this same thread
so that other readers benefit too. Secondly, the preacher-man wishes to inform
about the birth of another blog specifically for community development and communication to be introduced soon.
Thirdly, to put it across that issues discussed here are not personal but
intends to take advantage of the beautiful online medium to interact on burning
issues while giving the audience freedom to respond, react, and contribute to
the debate constructively. Therefore responsible manners are preferred.
Lastly,
he would want to congratulate the Malawi
National Football Team for winning its game against Tanzania at the Kamuzu
stadium on 11th October 2015. Despite failing to qualify for the
world cup tournament, the win alone does a lot in the lives of soccer lovers.
At least it has gone into records that Malawi
has never lost more than once to Tanzania at home
ground. The goal cerebration itself revived joyous moments of how people feel
when their team wins a game which many Flames supporters had begun to forget
due to recent poor results. At the same time, it is a boost for the young
players to build confidence and rework on their attitude about international
games. The win against Tanzania, but the failure to qualify, leaves a lot of
lessons in the Flames classroom
which this author has taken it upon himself to discuss them in one of the
impending articles ahead. Our treasurers are still counting the offerings
collected from the entrances and the figures will be communicated later, hoping
not to see stadium-gate which affected the Big
Bullets club and the Mighty Be forward
Wanderers game proceeds at the same cathedral last week. Ha-ha-ha
The prophet of doom, as branded, is here again to
take another jingle of five sins which the Malawi national football team has
had, undoubtedly leading to the bad omen over the recent times. For the
goodness of space to allow us to read thoroughly the article to the end, but
also to better discuss and understand the issues vehemently, the discussion
will be broke into chapters. Today’s chapter will talk of the first junk from
the five sins and the subsequent articles will wind up the remaining.
To begin with,can somebody from the audience list
the best first eleven players from the current Flames squad? I mean super
quality players who you can parade in assuming you are the coach. The ones you
cannot stumble or stagger mentioning during pre-match conference against Egypt, Ivory coast, Ghana, Algeria,
Nigeria, Angola, Zambia, and even Cape Verde. Obviously, when mentioning
certain names on your list some pundits from the press panel would be raising
their eyebrows. No circumlocution!, it is not just a matter of filling the gaps
in the lineup positions but feeding the right individuals trustworthy to play
ninety minutes without worries of substitutions, assuming nobody gets injured.
The ones who the coach cannot complain when he decides to change the game plan
while the play is underway on the pitch.
Obviously, the players of such a caliber are likely
to maintain their place in the Nation Team for a long time, no matter what
happens. And such a team certainly brings home good results.
To be honest here since the last attendance of the Flames
at the African Cup of Nations
tournament in Angola in 2010, the
team had lost its touch and punch. Get the author correct, not many players
have maintained their position in the squad. I am afraid this sermon will be
longer than the normal allocated hours.
But the truth of the matter is that when
the then captain Peter Mponda hung
up the boots through continued injuries as ageing caught up, Elvis Kafoteka and Russell Mwafulirwa
quitted later, the replacements have struggled to be consistent. The form of Moses Chavula, Hellings Mwakasungula and Esau
Kanyenda felt the downfall. Perhaps people may associate the factors to
effects of the quitting gungs who they had established a strong network on the
field. Even the form of super goalkeeper Swadick Sanudi
was not spared in this catastrophic era. He too hung up the gloves later. The only
regular players left were Joseph Kamwendo,
Davie Banda and Robert Ng’ambi, and perhaps Chiukepo Msoyowa who, at the time of this previous train used to
come from the bench.
 |
| Joseph Kamwendo remained in form after AFCON |
Possibly the coach at that time did not prophesy the
forthcoming tragedy and see the need to devise precautionary measures. Maybe
the team was just overexcited with the incredible and indescribable results it
was achieving on the pitch without preparing the transition. This was the team
which had played together consistently for a long time. And guess what, it harvested
a lot of goodies. The team qualified for the finals of AFCON tournament in 2010; more than twenty years down the previous
attendance.
It was not surprising to see such a team achieving accolade results
on the pitch. Yes, thrashing Chad
with eight goals to one, the solely highest score line in the recent Flames
history, probably since 2000. They made several stunning performances in the records
of the National Team. Let’s take a breather and enjoy this unique piece of
commentary…date the subsequent article on ‘free tutorial for football commentators in
Malawi’ and you will agree the reasons why this kind of commentary is
spectacular.
‘This
is Mohamed he has beaten Mponda, trouble! But Sanudi punches it away, trouble!
But it is kicked away. Three minutes and thirty seconds to go unofficially
before the end of the game. Hassan has
taken a throw, he kicks a long ball inside Malawi’s half … but offside has been
ruled against one of them. Two minutes
and fifty five seconds to go. It’s still nil nil. The boys have done a very
good job. Some critics said we could not beat or even draw with Egypt but here
we are. The ball has come to Chi-u-k-e-p-o-o-o-o-o (screaming…) it’s a g-o-a-l
l llll Malawi one Egypt nil!’ (Extract:
14th June 2008, commentary by Steve
Liwewe Banda, MBC Radio 2)
Ha-ha-ha souls of the congregation have been stirred
up. Yeah, people have flashed back the emotions, excitement and joyous moment
experienced on this beautiful day.The head coach, then, my longtime friend and the
Flames’ legend Kinnah ‘electric, the
special one’ Phiri was thrown into the
sky several times, ironically, in disbelief of what his charges had managed to
yield against such a powerful opponent. It was, sadly, rumored that the coach
had lost his phone(s) in the throw-ups.
The political system also fashioned in town. It was
rumored that the then Minister of Sports at one point attributed the success to
the wise
and dynamic leadership of the then president. Please don’t ask the
relevancy of these two issues, it is just a stopover. Yes,the impact of
political system on Sports cannot be entirely ruled out, but perhaps here it
was somewhat exaggerated.
In the return leg the Flames stumbled in Cairo amid fierce atmosphere. Remember?
Be, however, reminded that at the time Egypt
was the number one team in Africa according to rankings, and its first choice
goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary was the
best on the continent. The team also had other names making headlines in football.
In the subsequent big game the Flames managed to force the giant Ghana to a draw. That was the then Flames which could scorch even
in winter.Yes, the team suffered a humiliating defeat before the Elephants of Ivory Coast but it got a
reboot at home by holding the killers to a one-all draw. It must be confessed here that if it was not
that the Malawi defenders had given too much respect, just in a minute, for the
talisman and the then Chelsea hero
Didier Drogba, the Flames would have won that game.
It is still memorable that the Ivorian soccer king had
started on the bench and only to be introduced after the Flames had taken the
lead. No sooner had he touched the ball for the first time than he shot home,
following a defensive blunder. But still the praise went to the Malawi flag
carriers, who were branded as underdogs. Perhaps some of this audience missed
the game, but the Ivory team had Yaya Tou`re,
Kolo Tou`re, Didier Drogba, Didier Zokora, Solomon Kalou, Gevihno, Wilfred Bony
and Barry to mention but some.
The Flames with the same consistent players made
another splendid record when they surprised Algeria at AFCON 2010 in Angola
with a three-nil threshing in the opening game.On the score sheet were Russell Mwafulirwa at 17’, ElvisKafoteka at
34’ and Davie Banda at 48’.
For a short while, it can be important to have a
look at the starting line-up for the team which defeated Algeria: 1-Swadick
Sanudi, 3-Moses Chavula, 5-James Sangala, 7-Peter Mponda, 12-Elvis Kafoteka,
13-Hellings Mwakasungula, 10-Joseph Kamwendo, 18-Peter Wadabwa, 19-Davie Banda,
9-Russel Mwafulirwa, 11-Essau Kanyenda. On the bench there was; Robert Ng’ambi,
Chiukepo Msowoya and Jimmy Zakazaka to mention a few.
Although, the team suffered several downfalls and
defeats (memorable being 7-0 loss to Tunisia) along the way, but still it
recorded memorable successes. And justifiably the defeats came in during the
transition minutes of the old team to the squad which qualified for the AFCON,
but also the other sins, to be discussed later, other than quality of the
players. This was the squad emerged from another superb cohort which had ticked
the continent in the early 2000s.
Mark fairly the assembly of the following names in a
Flames squad at one point in football history by 2006. Goalkeepers: Swadick Sanudi, Semion Kapuza, Philip Nyasulu, Chikhulupiliro Lunda.
Defenders: Allan Kamanga, Patrick Mabedi, Peter Mponda, Clement Kafwafwa,
Maupo Msowoya, Godfrey Banda, Wisdom Ndlovu, Petrus Mwalweni, James Sangala,
Elvis Kafoteka, Itaye Nundwe, and Hudge Tambala. Midfielders: Robert
Ng’ambi, Fisher Kondowe, James Chilapondwa, Emmanuel Chipatala, Mike Kumanga,
Peter Mgangira, Jacob Ngwira, John Maduka, Moses Chavula, Gift Zakazaka, Sherry Msuku,
Hellings Mwakasungula,Maxwell Chirwa, Tendai Mbisa, Richard Mwansa, McNeil
Chisunthi. Forwards: Joseph Kamwendo, Esau Kanyenda, Russell Mwafulirwa, Daniel
Chitsulo, Jimmy Zakazaka, Heston Munthali, Noel Mkandawire, Ziwange Gondwe, Dick Malidadi,
Vitor Phiri, Albert Mpinganjira, Malumbo Mkandawire, Peter Wadabwa and Aggrey Kanyenda.
Source (http://www.statemaster.com/encyclopedia/malawi-national-football-team)
This highly quality squad which flickered headlines
between 2007 and 2010 had also origin from another generation of soccer icons.Let
alone, simple mathematics, it was not difficult to mine best set of players from
that huge population.When injuries, age and desire to retire caught up with
some of the members, it was so easy to leave the boots for the well prepared
youngsters. The quality was maintained
and incredibly improved to achieve more praise than the predecessors. Have a
critical look at the quality of those players on the list above; those who were
regularly in the first eleven and the quality of those who were in the reserve.
Then move the motion against the quality of what the team currently has as
first eleven and its reserve.
Surely one would feel the wide difference in terms
of quality. The current squad cannot be surprised with outcomes on the
scoreboards. It would have been the best reserve side for the Flames and not
the first team. Unsurprisingly, when the Mponda led generation went out like a
season the team suffered retaliated defeats to the same Algeria 3-0, Egypt 2-1 and the rest is obvious.
 |
| Peter Mponda, the Flames legend |
Therefore, the first vivid sin rested on the
transition period when the then technical panel failed to foresee the need for new
good quality players to be gradually succeeding the outgoing team. The coaches
allowed the biggies to fade out of fashion then start scouting for short term amateurs
as cushions in the lineup’s cracks. By
that time, the situation had gone out of hand.
Somebody can argue that m-m-m but the team still
hired replacements. Okay! Can you mention, for instance how many goalkeepers
the Malawi Football Team has had after Sanudi? How many have convinced and who
has maintained the post? The author does not want to judge any of the
goalkeepers but here are some of the names for the audience to recall their
performances, Charles Swini, Mcdonard Harawa,
Simplex Nthala, and Richard Chipuwa … just from 2011.The point is not to
boycott the up and coming players who are under-performing at the national team
level. Rather, maintain them in the reserve.
Slowly with exposure to various tactics and
experiences away from the club football, they will be fully shaped to take up
duties when the current members face vacation.
Think of the current best players in the various
clubs. Think of how many promising players have been sidelined. It is a
petition for the national team coaches to have sharp scouting eyes to grab good
quality players into the squad. Trust the author, Malawi has very many high
quality players but they are yet to be utilized. The current administration of Ernest Mtawali is showing up signs of
building a team by capping young talented players, who at the moment may not be
best fits for the Flames but in the next three years they will be icons. When
calling up these players, remember to have many of them on the list that can also
constitute a strong reserve side than focusing on the first eleven only.
The indisputable advantage of the national
team is that it does not need million dollars to acquire best players through transfer deals. Cast the net wide in the country’s
clubs and pick the preferred quality.
No comments:
Post a Comment