27 players for pilot phase of the Luwinga Inclusive Academy

* The academy will be a residential academy where all the players will be residing and doing their studies

* We will meet with the parents and guardians of the selected players in June so that they understand what the academy is all about and how it will work

Maravi Express

Technical panel of Football Association of Malawi (FAM) has selected 27 players for the pilot phase of the Luwinga Inclusive Academy set to open in July following an identifying exercise at Bingu National Stadium on Saturday and Sunday, that brought together 81 young players from across the country.

The boys who participated in the selection process include 40 who were identified during the U-14 League Rough Diamonds finals while the others were selected through the grassroots football activities.

FAM technical director, Benjamin Kumwenda is quoted by Fam.mw as saying the boys are expected to converge at Luwinga Technical Center in three moths time.

“The Luwinga Inclusive Academy will be a residential academy where all the players will be residing and doing their studies,” he said. “We will meet with the parents and guardians of the selected players in June so that they understand what the academy is all about and how it will work.

“We plan to invite the boys to converge for the first time at the Technical Center for a mini-camp so that we test and assess the situation at the Center before they fully come in for the residential camp.”

Kumwenda added that FAM will in few weeks conduct a selection process to identify a girls’ cohort to be part of the inclusive academy.

Four experienced coaches were entrusted with the task of selecting the players that include Patrick Mabedi, Lovemore Fazili, Peterkins Kayira and Joseph Malizani.

The players who have made it are:

Goalkeepers: Mphatso Snowden (Dwangwa), Davie Maleta (Zomba), Opex Kantuwanje (Balaka), Hope Juwani (Blantyre);

Defenders: Gerald Phiri (Blantyre), George Mwalughali (Karonga), Evance Chimbanga (Dedza), Donex Chigoli (Dowa), Innocent Kimu (Mulanje), Precious Gilbert (Blantyre), Prince Mpinganjira (Lilongwe);

Midfielders: Nazamu Mtendere (Mangochi), Francis Mwale (Kasungu), Jazaka Amidu (Kasungu), Danny Kavala (Nkhata Bay), Yasin Justin (Blantyre), Miracle Ndovi (Zomba), Joel Yakobe (Blantyre);

Strikers: Hajir Muhajiri (Mangochi), Lameck Kamanga (Mzuzu), Elisha Nyirenda (Mzuzu), Maziko Banda (Lilongwe), Chikondi Sitima (Lilongwe), Phillip Mwalwimba (Karonga), Owen Kamiyo (Blantyre), Blessings Mataka (Balaka), Geofrey Chikodzera (Ntchisi).

Luwinga Academy was given a thumbs up as good to go by FIFA following an inspection of its progress in November last year by a delegation from world football governing body, FIFA’s Agence Francaise de Developmente (AFD).

Malawi is among just three African FAs — alongside Mauritania and Djibouti — that were selected to establish inclusive football academies that will among other things teach young players best footballing techniques and how they can prepare for life outside football.

Luwinga Academy is expected to be a model and one of the best football academies in Africa, aimed at producing quality players for Malawi through a structured player development pathway.

The programme is intended to make use of football’s ability to teach life skills such as commitment and teamwork. It aims to prepare academy players to be future citizens, bearing in mind that only a tiny proportion will become professional footballers, and broaden their economic and professional horizons through football, empower them and ensure their employability.

The delegation, led by FIFA director-member association Africa, Gelson Fernandes held a series of meetings with various stakeholders on the establishment of the academy before inspecting the site in Mzuzu.

Fernandez attested that FIFA selected Malawi together with Mauritania and Djibouti for a number of reasons, including quality of administration in the three FA’s.

“We opened applications to the whole continent but Malawi together with Mauritania and Djibouti were selected due to their quality of administration, stability within their federations and they showed their potential in as far as football development is concerned,” he said.

The academy will help to produce high quality talent that can excel at international level taking cognizance that West Africans excelling in Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA World Cup because they have excellent talent.

Malawi’s progress to having talent nurturing academies started with Surestream and has been carried over by Ascent Soccer in Lilongwe, which has achieved a lot in a short period of existence.

Meanwhile, the success that synonymous with Ascent Soccer academy keeps unfolding and this time making history of Malawi junior football development programme by sending first players to ply their professional football in Europe — following successful pre-season trials they underwent at Iceland’s UMF Afturelding.

Precious Kapunda (19) and Levison Munyenyembe (18) have been signed by Ungmennafélagið Afturelding, commonly known as UMF Afturelding, which is a professional Icelandic multi-sports club based in the town of Mosfellsbaer — just north of the capital Reykjavik.

The club, that was founded in 1909, plays in the second tier of Icelandic football and Munyenyembe and Kapunda will train with its Under-19 as well as the first team — eligible to play for both sides this season.

In its press statement, Ascent Soccer describes Levison Munyenyembe, whose talent was tapped from Mzuzu, as “a quick, tenacious winger/forward with an eye for goal” and Precious Kapunda, from Blantyre, as “a central midfield player with an exceptional range of passing”.

“Both players joined Ascent Soccer as 12-year-olds and were instrumental in Ascent’s 2022 unbeaten tour of South Africa, which included a 3-0 win of the Mamelodi Sundowns U-17s.”