Chawinga sisters lift Malawi camp
The Malawi senior womens football team have received a morale booster with the coming in of China-based Chawinga Sisters, Tabitha and Temwa, which coach McNelbert Kazuwa calls it “a full house”.
The sisters reported in Blantyre on Tuesday but went into self-isolation, waiting for their Covid-19 tests which came out negative. Then on Thursday, the strikers joined the Scorchers camp at Mpira Village in Blantyre to further the preparations ahead of the Cosafa Women’s Championship scheduled for South Africa from next week.
Speaking after her first training session on Thursday afternoon, Tabitha, who is also the team’s Captain said she is happy to be part of this year’s tournament after missing the last two editions.
“I feel good because I have come for Cosafa. You know Cosafa is not on FIFA calendar so we only come if we have holidays, so I am happy to be part of the national team to go to Cosafa. Now it is three years; 2017 until now to back to Cosafa.
“We have a target as a team, we need to win. We need to take the trophy in the Cosafa. Each time we pray to God to help us to do something for the whole Malawi to celebrate together with us. So, I trust my team-mate, and I trust in God. We are going to do something better. We will go to score many goals in Cosafa.” Fabitha said.
Tabitha continued to say that much as they are only foreign based players, the team should not just leave everything in the hands of the sisters, saying team-work is all that matters to succeed.
“I encourage everyone in the camp to work hard. Not to just look at Temwa and Tabitha. They are supposed to look at themselves as well because Temwa and Tabitha have made their names (in football) already.
“These girls have to fight hard. They are supposed to help us (Temwa and Tabitha) and me and my young sister Temwa are also supposed to help them. We can help them to go and play professional football outside Malawi.
“Professional football is not easy now. Atleast if they can do well in Cosafa, they can do better. Many teams can see them. At Cosafa, many agents come to look for players, so this is a chance for everybody in the camp.” Tabitha concluded.
Now with the Chawingas in, coach McNelbert Kazuwa says he is happy to finally have everyone in the camp.
“Yeah, the coming of these two sisters into the camp is a very big morale booster to us especially to the other girls. They are very happy. Me as coach I am also very happy. We are all overwhelmed because we have been waiting for them and since they have joined us, it is a full house.
“We know that, now it has come to us that these are the ones we were waiting for so that we boost our team” Kazuwa said.
On the fitness of the squad, Kazuwa said the first and second week of the camp had challenges but now, almost everyone is fit.
“Last week we saw that some girls were not really responding, but this time, we did a lot of some fitness trainings, and most of them have picked up; they are at a very good level. We are geared looking at the performance on the ground, we can see that although there can be one or two who are not picking up to the level of their friends, but almost everybody now is well and good.
“The morale is just very high. The girls are ready and each time we talk to them they say these are the ones we wanted to face in this tournament. The girls want to meet the Zambians and that draw to the team is just as good as it is. So, we are working on that one. As we go to South Africa, the girls are going to perform. Believe me, they are going to do well.” Kazuwa assured.
The 2020 Cosafa Women’s Championship will be played in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa from 3-14 November and the Scorchers are in group B alongside Zambia and Lesotho. They will play Lesotho on 7th November before facing Zambia two days later.
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