By Mphatso Malidadi & Llywellenie Mpasa:
Malawian teams have attributed their struggles in the ongoing 34th men’s and 25th women’s editions of the Africa Cup for Club Champions 2023 to lack of adequate facilities.
Malawi’s representatives in both women’s and men’s division are yet to beat foreign sides as the continental showpiece progresses at National Hockey Stadium in Blantyre.
During Day Two Games in the men’s section, Sharkia Hockey of Egypt thumped Malawi’s Parachute Battalion 16-1 whereas Kampala of Uganda beat Scorpions of Malawi 3-1.
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In the same section, during Monday’s games Genetrix beat local rivals Scorpions 5-0.
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In the women’s division, Genetrix beat compatriots Capital Braves 6-0 whereas Ghana’s Revenue Authority (GRA) narrowly defeated Delta Queens of Nigeria 4-3.
During Monday’s games, GRA thrashed Genetrix 11-0 while another local outfit Capital Braves lost 15-0 to Lakers.
Hockey Association of Malawi (Ham) President Wanthaza Mughogho is confident that the performance of Malawian teams will pick up.
“This competition is tough but we are still confident that our teams will improve as the championship progresses,” Mughogho said.
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Parachute Battalion player Boniface Ngulube said Malawian sides are using the tournament to learn from advanced counterparts.
“Our colleagues are advanced in all areas. They are technically good and well exposed,” she said.
Capital Braves skipper Chimwemwe Chilima called for support from stakeholders to bridge the gap against foreign sides.
“Our friends have everything, but on our part, we do not have adequate sponsorship and facilities,” Chilima said.
Scorpions women’s captain Jacqueline Mphiniza also attributed their unconvincing display to lack of facilities and sponsorship.
“For Blantyre teams, we have just started using the artificial turf but our colleagues from Lilongwe do not have such facilities. If we can have more facilities, we can easily get used to the artificial turf.
“Then on the issue of sponsorship, if we can have cup sponsorships as the case is in football and well-funded teams, we can match our counterparts,” she said.
Meanwhile, Genetrix solidified their supremacy on the domestic scene with a commanding 5-0 victory over Scorpions.
