Ex-Flames midfielder Chimango Kayira has urged the Malawi National Football Team to respect their opponents in the 2025 Hollywoodbets Cosafa Cup, which starts today in South Africa.
Malawi, who are in Group B, will play their first game against Lesotho on 5 June at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein and then face Namibia on 8 June, with the last game against defending champions, Angola on June 10, 2025.
Kayira said Flames’ technical panel should maximise its squad depth and properly manage player rotation and prepare differently for each game.
“Lesotho tends to be organised and difficult to break down. Malawi should aim for an aggressive but calculated start, using width and pace to stretch them. Namibia is more physical and fast on the break. Defensive discipline and midfield control will be key to neutralise their threats.
Angola is technically sound and often unpredictable. Malawi will need to be tactically flexible and possibly adjust shape based on the match context,” Kayira said.
Flames Head Coach Kalisto Pasuwa named a 25-member squad for the tournament.
However, Pasuwa left out most regulars, saying he wants to give an opportunity to developing players ahead of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in September.
Nonetheless, sports analyst, Twaha Chimuka, who was quoted by The Nation, criticised the squad because it contains more senior team players.
“I think we could also be the strongest squad if you compared with other countries. So, this is a missed opportunity for Pasuwa to expose more up-and-coming players. Of course we have three developmental players, but this is not enough,” Chimuka.
Flames Assistant Coach, Peter Mponda, expressed confidence that this a strong squad worth fighting for honours.
“We feel that we have taken a very good squad to take us to the semifinals and see what happens if we reach the finals and try to win it. We are going there to compete and try to bring the cup home,” said Mponda.
Malawi has never won the COSAFA contest but came close in 2002 when they were defeated in the final 1-0 by South Africa, courtesy of Benedict Vilakazi who scored on the 90th minute.
Similarly in 2003, they lost 2-0 against Zimbabwe, courtesy of Charles Yohane and Peter Ndlovu.
The only bronze medal was in 2001 when Malawi lost to the same team on a similar score line, courtesy of Edzai Kasinauyo and Maxwell Dube.
In 2023, Flames’ ended on 4th place against the same team after falling 5-3 on post-match penalties as the game ended 0-0 in regulation time.
