Malawi National Women’s Football Team head coach Lovemore Fazili believes the upcoming international friendly matches against Tanzania will provide an important measure of the Scorchers’ readiness for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The Scorchers are in Dar es Salaam, where they will face Tanzania in two friendly matches as part of preparations for their first appearance at Africa’s biggest women’s football tournament.
Fazili said the team has settled in well since arriving in Tanzania, with players quickly adapting to the environment.
“So far so good. We travelled very well and we don’t have any problems in the team. Everybody is good and the players are adapting very well,” said Fazili.
He described the two matches as crucial in helping the technical panel assess the team’s progress after their previous international assignment in Kenya.
“These matches are very important because they are a continuation of where we left off in Kenya. We are going to check the positive and negative areas and see where we are at the moment,” he said.
Fazili also highlighted the inclusion of youngsters Fatima Lali and Talandira Chinyamvula, saying it is part of a long-term plan to strengthen the national team.
“We have good players in our Under-20 squad. We want to see young girls playing alongside senior players so that they can adapt. In the future, they will be the ones replacing the senior players,” said Fazili.
While emphasizing that the matches are part of preparations, Fazili said he expects his side to produce performances that will encourage supporters back home.
“Despite these being friendly matches, we want to give Malawians something to be happy about. We are looking for good performances from these two games and they will help us identify areas that need improvement before WAFCON,” he said.
The first match will be played on Wednesday in Dar es Salaam, with the second encounter scheduled for 6 June.
