By Praise Majawa:
Malawi’s senior national football team has dropped two places to 131st from 129th in the latest Fifa world rankings released Thursday.
The drop follows the Flames’ 3-1 defeat to Angola in Group B of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers in Luanda on Tuesday.
The Flames opened their campaign with a 2-1 home victory over South Sudan before losing to Angola.
Angola have climbed four places to 83rd from 87th following their victory, while Group B leaders Egypt have slipped one place to 25th. South Sudan have also dropped one place to 170th.
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Egypt lead the group with four points from two matches after drawing 0-0 with Angola before beating South Sudan 5-0 away.
Football Association of Malawi has set qualification for the continental competition’s finals as a target for Flames coach Kalisto Pasuwa.
Football pundits Anthony Isaiah has described the latest developments as a wake-up call for football administrators and stakeholders.
Isaiah said Malawi lacks the quality of players needed to compete at major international tournaments, calling for a better scouting system.
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“We do not have quality players for international tournaments at the moment.
We need to develop a proper scouting process if we are to improve football development in this country,” he said.
Another analyst, Mike Ndala, attributed the Flames’ struggles to weaknesses in the development of junior national teams, saying the country needed a proper structure to nurture players before they reach the senior level.
“The root cause is the improper structure of our junior national teams. If we do not have a proper system to develop players from a young age, we will continue struggling at senior level,” he said.
The two analysts agreed that the Flames face a difficult task in their bid to qualify for the 2027 Afcon finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
