Flames coach Meck Mwase has said he will not be disturbed by the postponement of the draw for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals due to the Covid pandemic.
The draw for the Afcon finals was initially scheduled for June 25 in Cameroon.
However, Confederation of African Football (Caf) announced Sunday that new dates would be announced in due course.
This means the Flames and other 23 teams who qualified for Afcon finals will wait a little longer to know their opponents at next year’s continental showpiece.
In reaction to the postponement of the draw Sunday, Mwase said his focus would be to prepare for any team during the finals.
“Our focus is on the upcoming international friendly against Tanzania. After that, we will focus on the upcoming tournaments. In the meantime, we are teams,” Mwase said.
In a statement Sunday, Caf confirmed the postponement of the draw.
“Caf continues to work together with its partners, the Cameroon government and the Loc [Local organising committee] with the objective of making the Total Energies Africa Cup of Nations 2021 a successful event and great celebration of African football,” reads the statement from Caf.
The Flames are in camp preparing for a friendly against Tanzania on June 13.
Mwase has called Scotland-based defender Kieran Ngwenya, who plays for Aberdeen FC and arrived in the country on Saturday afternoon ahead of the match.
Midfielder Taonga Chimodzi, who plays for Omonia Arradipou in Cyprus, has been included in the squad.
Malawi qualified for the Afcon finals which will take place from January 9 to February 6 2022 in Cameroon after finishing second in Group B with 10 points, two behind Burkina Faso.
According to the draw format, top ranked teams are seeded and are put in pot one.
This means Malawi will likely be paired against Africa heavyweights such as Senegal, Algeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cameroon and Tunisia.
The other 23 spots for the tournament have been confirmed including for hosts Cameroon, reigning champions Algeria and Malawi but one spot is remaining as Sierra Leone and Benin will meet in a decider in June.
The Group L fixture was postponed to June due to Covid controversy.
Mathews Kasanda is a journalist who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from University of Malawi (The Polytechnic).
In 2015, Media Institute of Southern Africa awarded him the Best Print Media Education Journalist of the Year accolade.
He joined Times Group Newsroom in September 2019.
