* 2024 edition’s champions, Senegal have won five of the last six CAF Beach Soccer AfCON tournaments
* Africa will be the centre of attention next year when Seychelles hosts the historic FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in May 2025
Maravi Express
Happy with the development and growth of beach soccer Confédération of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe says it is important to encourage more African countries to play regular and competitive matches in order to ensure that African beach soccer is competitive on the global level.
He was quoted saying this by CAFonline at the CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) Egypt 2024 final in Hurghada where Senegal claimed their record 5th title against debutants Mauritania.
Senegal has won five of the last six CAF Beach Soccer AfCON tournaments and Africa will be the centre of attention next year when Seychelles hosts the historic FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in May 2025.
Motsepe said it was important that the quality and standard of African in all 54 CAF member associations is globally competitive and he also gave credit to hosts, Egypt who finished fourth in the tournament after losing to Morocco in the 3rd/4th play-off.
“On behalf of the 54 member associations of CAF, I express my gratitude to Egypt for hosting a very successful CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations Egypt 2024.
“I congratulate Senegal for winning the competition and also Mauritania for reaching the final on their first attempt. I wish Senegal and Mauritania all of the very best as they will be representing Africa in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles 2025,” he was quoted as saying.
Both Senegal and Mauritania were in the same group with Malawi and both won their matches against the COSAFA representatives — with Senegal beating Malawi 6-1 while the debutantes Mauritania won by 11-6.
In the opening group match, Malawi had also been beaten 4-3 by fellow COSAFA side Mozambique but went on to get a consolation from the tournament by finishing 7th after an intense 6-5 victory over Tanzania in extra time.
After their group performance, Malawi national beach soccer coach, Willy Kumilambe alluded that being their second appearance at the AfCON and having failed to get past the group stages in 2022, they were supposed to get at least into the semifinal to show that they are improving.
“Qualification for AFCON alone is not enough we need to come here and compete,” Kumilambe is quoted as saying by Fam.mw.
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They qualified for the AfCON Egypt 2024 after winning bronze at the COSAFA Beach Soccer Championship 2024 in March.
It was a feat that Football Association of Malawi (FAM) president, Fleetwood Haiya applauded and he promised FAM’s continued support, saying the team has great potential to make it to the World Cup.
He made the pledge when he and Minister of Local Government, Richard Chimwendo Banda hosted the team at the Douglas Hotel in Lilongwe to officially welcome them back home from South Africa where they won the bronze.
They won the bronze after beating Saudi Arabia 5-4 in a very tight third place play-off after they lost 6-9 to Morocco in the semi-final that ended Malawi’s hopes of winning their first-ever COSAFA Beach Soccer Championship title since the competition was introduced in 2015.
In 2015, Malawi won the silver medal after a 4-9 loss to Madagascar in Seychelles and although Malawi lost to Morocco in the semi-final, the team put up a gallant fight.
Malawi also lost 3-7 to Morocco at the AfCON) finals held in Vilankulo, Mozambique.
The feat against Saudi Arabia in March came after they lost 1-5 to the Arab side in the second game of the group stage after they had beaten South Africa 4-2 in the opening match before thrashing Seychelles 7-2 in the last group stage match.
Saudi Arabia, Morocco and 2021 CAF Beach Soccer AfCON silver-medalists, Tanzania were teams outside the COSAFA that participated on invitation.
Malawi missed out two editions of 2021 and 2022 and the FAM president Haiya maintained that, despite not playing in many competitions since the team was formed in 2015, they have not disappointed whenever they are given an opportunity to compete.
He had said winning the silver in their debut international tournament was a great achievement and since then, they have been exposed to having played in three COPA Dar es Salaam competitions and the AfCON.
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