Chakwera feels the cup
President Lazarus Chakwera put the icing on the cake for Malawi Women’s National Football Team with a reward of K1.5 million each to players and officials for winning the 2023 Hollywoodbets Cosafa Women’s Football Championship in Pretoria, South Africa, on Sunday.
This means the players have pocketed K5.3 million in total after getting K3.8 million each from Football Association of Malawi (Fam) as part of allowances and game bonuses.
Chakwera also announced that each player and official would get a 35-by-25 metres piece of land at Area 45 in Lilongwe.
The President showered the team with the rewards when he hosted it to a luncheon at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe Thursday.
Chakwera hailed the team for proving that Malawi is a winning nation.
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“I celebrate your unity because in every match, you play as a unit that cannot be divided by the opposition. This championship is built on a lifetime of family support, decades of ambition to succeed, years of hard work, months of discipline, weeks of good coaching and a timeless love of a country,” he said.
This is the second time for Chakwera to host the Scorchers, having first done so in 2021 when they finished second in the regional competition.
Captain Temwa Chawinga said Chakwera’s gesture will motivate the players.
“I cannot express in words our gratitude to the President for what he has done to us. Football is a short-term career and you need to make the most out of it while still playing. The rewards he has given us will therefore change our lives in many ways,” Temwa said.
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National Women’s Football Association Chairperson Adelaide Migogo also hailed Chakwera for hosting the team.
“This is a great motivation to the players and we hope they will continue to work hard,” Migogo said.
She then appealed to Chakwera, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Malawi Defence Force, to consider promoting Scorchers players who are soldiers.
Some of the players are Asimenye Simwaka, Sabina Thom, Mary Major and Patricia Nyirenda.
Association of Malawi President Walter Nyamilandu explains how the team did it
Fam President Walter Nyamilandu said there is a need to invest more in women’s football in the country.
“The journey to success was not easy but the players showed great character. The story of the Scorchers is one about rising from ashes to glory, from nothing to greatness,” Nyamilandu said.
Earlier, the team paraded the cup in the streets of Lilongwe after arriving in Blantyre on Monday.
Youth and Sports Minister Uchizi Mkandawire and Malawi National Council of Sports Chairperson Sunduzwayo Madise also attended the event.
The Scorchers won the 2023 Hollywoodbets Cosafa Women’s Championship with a 100 percent record in five matches.
Malawi stunned Zambia 2-1 in the final to win their first ever Cosafa title since inception in 2002.
In the group stages, Malawi edged South Africa 4-3 in the opening match followed by an 8-0 demolition of eSwatini, before wrapping up with a 3-1 beating of Madagascar.
Malawi made it to the final after defeating Mozambique 2-1.
They also dominated the individual awards category, with Temwa being named player of the tournament besides scooping the Golden Boot Award with nine goals.
Malawi were also the highest scoring team of the competition with 17 goals against six.
