Joseph Kamwendo recalled
Veteran midfielder, Joseph Kamwendo, has crawled his way back into the Malawi National Football Team squad for the African Nations Championship (Chan) qualifying match against Madagascar at Bingu National Stadium this Saturday.
The Flames, who lost 0-1 to Madagascar in the first leg of the opening round on Saturday, returned home yesterday and went straight into camp ahead of the reverse fixture.
To beef up the squad, the Flames Coach, Ronny Van Geneudgen, has drafted in the experienced pass master Kamwendo.
However, van Geneudgen, looking calm in an interview yesterday, fell short of being specific on the names of the recalled players.
“It is bad that we lost the game but the normal result was 0-0, only that a goal fell from heaven,” he said at Kamuzu International Airport.
“The most important thing now is to find the right balance for the team and see which players are ready for the game.”
The Belgian was reportedly unhappy with lack of fire power upfront where he featured Muhammad Sulumba as a lone striker with Harvey Nkacha behind him.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Kamwendo has been recalled alongside his Be Forward Wanderers team-mate, Ishmael Thindwa, Isaac Kaliyati, Silver Strikers forward, Binwell Katinji and Masters Security attacker, Robin Ngalande.
Blue Eagles skipper, Micium Mhone, might also join camp, sources indicated.
Kaliyati, Katinji and Ngalande were part of the squad but they were dropped due to various reasons, including injury.
Kamwendo, who last represented the Flames at the Cosafa Cup Cup in Namibia last June, confirmed that he was back in the fold.
The former Orlando Pirates and TP Mazembe midfielder said he received a call from a Football Association of Malawi official informing him to report for camp.
“It is an honour for me to be given a chance to play for the national team. I know I will be under pressure to deliver, but I am ready to help my country to progress to the next stage,” Kamwendo said.
Malawi must score two goals without conceding against Madagscar to face Mozambique in the second round.
There is a third and final qualifying round for the Chan finals scheduled for Kenya from January 12 to February 4 2018.
A vibrant writer who gives a great insight on hot topics and issues
