* They always choose easy way out to glory
After the Scorchers beat 10-times African champions Nigeria 3-2 — an achievement that has not only been immensely celebrated for by Malawians, but the continent as a whole — US-based Chioma Okafor, has been sneered at for snubbing the Scorchers opting to represent Nigeria.
Chioma Okafor
The wish of the daughter to a Malawian mother and a Nigerian father to represent Malawi was accepted by Football Association of Malawi (FAM) and was even included in the provisional squad for the COSAFA Women’s Championship 2024.
She was also called up for the Scorchers’ international friendlies against Zambia in February last year, but she was unavailable for final selection at the time due to academic commitments at University of Connecticut.
Then in June 2025, FAM announced that Chioma decided to commit her international football career to Nigeria, saying it received official communication from the Nigeria Football Federation — indicating her commitment to play for the West African nation.
FAM reported that it engaged the parents and the player, who confirmed her intention and commitment to represent Nigeria.
Malawian fans deeply thought that she made the decision probably after failing to first make the final COSAFA squad in the first place, but it was later officially reported that her desire stemmed from the fact that the Scorchers were apparently ‘non-entities’ in as far as African women football is concerned.
She was widely reported to have demeaned the Scorchers, saying: “I sought an environment that was highly competitive, and the Nigerian side appeared more appealing in this regard, given their participation in more international competitions.
“I recognised that to achieve my career aspirations, I required exposure and the opportunity to play with athletes who are more skilled than myself,” she was quoted as saying.
Temwa offering solidarity to Chioma in the US where they play in NWSL
She, however, emphasised that it was not an easy decision to make, saying: “I took considerable time, spanning a couple of years, to contemplate it, and I ultimately felt that it was time for me to refrain from making the easy decisions that I often tend to make.”
Whatever that meant, but that is now water under the bridge because by the time she and her parents considered that she should represent Malawi, the Scorchers had already made a name for themselves on women’s football stage when they won their first international title — the COSAFA Women’s Championship 2023.
And it is this very same Scorchers squad that achieved that feat; it is this very same team that qualified for their first ever WAfCON finals participation; and it is the same assembly that have beaten Nigeria 3-2.
Mind you, the Scorchers were 2-0 up at 90 minutes before Nigeria pulled one back in 90+3 from the penalty spot following a handball in the box and restored the two-goal lead two minutes later before the Super Falcons reduced the arrears in 90+8.
The Rwanda referee was even questioned that she added eights minutes of time including in time-added.
Chioma’s decision for the Super Falcons is water under the bridge — don’t waste any energy to go back to or use this result to scoff at her because this is the common mentality for Africans who hold dual birth roots all over the world.
They always choose easy way out to glory and the examples are many including the great French legend, Zinedine Zidane — whose son Luca Zidane decided to play for Algeria.
He made a strong impression at the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) Morocco 2025.
He told the media prior to the AfCON Morocco 2025 that his grandfather (Zinedine’s father) encouraged him to play for Algeria, he wanted Luca to be proud of his origins.
“… I wanted to honour him. My father told me to make my choice and to do it with conviction,” he had said.
Luca Zidane
Many other players with very strong African roots have chosen to represent European nations with half-brothers Jérôme Boateng and Kevin-Prince Boateng, choosing to represent different national teams.
Jérôme, a highly decorated centre-back — best known for his highly successful decade-long spell FC Bayern Munich — chose Germany and was in the winning squad of the FIFA World Cup 2014.
Kevin-Prince, born in Germany, chose to play for the Ghana, representing the Black Stars at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
At the FIFA World Cup™ 2026, majority of influential stars for the European nations were those with African roots — players who chose the easy way out to glory, just like Chioma Okafor.
There is an annoying trend in Malawi that people — including those in the high echelons of power — of honouring their presence at national events very late, which have now become the unsavoury label; ‘Malawian time’.
This trend is a great inconvenience because most invitations to public events indicates starting times one hour before the planned schedule — to accommodate nuisances that come late.
Some would come early, peep into the gathering hall and when they see just one or two, they remain within the premises but in obscurity — while checking how many have arrived.
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Former State Vice-President, late Saulos Klaus Chilima (may his soul rest in PERFECT peace) once apologised for “coming early” to a national event when he found the gathering hall almost empty — including government organisers of the event.
The example of people peeping into the gathering halls to see how many have arrived is the same as Chioma and the rest of Africans choosing to play for the already established football nations.
Instead of taking the mantle and decide to be part of the African nation of their birth — or that of their parents — to help build it into a force to be reckoned with, they take the easy route out.
Chioma was called up for the friendlies in Zambia in February last year when the Scorchers were preparing for the WAfCON qualifiers against Angola, which they triumphed and have carried on that momentum in their debut appearance.
Proudly Malawian
For now, let’s spare our kind thoughts and mental energy of appreciation on the Scorchers for their next assignments against Egypt and Zambia at the WAfCON rather than dwell on saying: “Chioma who?”
If the Scorchers beat Egypt on Saturday, they will qualify for the knockout quarterfinals — and who knows might go as far as the semifinals and record a further historic achievement— qualification to the Women’s FIFA World Cup™ Brazil 2027.
Results and fixtures (kick-off times CAT beamed live on SuperSport live on DStv Channel 225 (https://dstv.stream) and on GOtv Channel 61 (https://gotv.stream):
Group stages
Group A
Algeria 2-0 Senegal
Morocco 4-0 Kenya
Thursday, July 30
Senegal v Kenya (19h00)
Morocco v Algeria (22h00)
Monday, August 3
Senegal Morocco (22h00)
Kenya v Algeria (22h00)
Group B
South Africa 1-2 Tanzania
Côte d’Ivoire 4-1 Burkina Faso
Friday, July 31
South Africa v Côte d’Ivoire (19h00)
Burkina Faso v Tanzania (22h00)
Tuesday, August 4
Burkina Faso v South Africa (22h00)
Tanzania v Côte d’Ivoire (22h00)
Group C
Zambia 6-0 Egypt
Nigeria 3-2 Malawi
Saturday, August 1
Egypt v Malawi (19h00)
Nigeria v Zambia (22h00)
Wednesday, August 5
Egypt v Nigeria (22h00)
Malawi v Zambia (22h00)
Group D
Today, July 29
Ghana 2-0 Cape Verde
Cameroon 2-1 Mali
Sunday, August 2
Ghana v Cameroon (19h00)
Mali v Cape Verde (22h00)
Thursday, August 6
Mali v Ghana (22h00)
Cape Verde v Cameroon (22h00)
Quarterfinals
Saturday, August 8
QF 2: Winner Group B v 2nd Place Group A (19h00)
QF 1: Winner Group A v 2nd Place Group B (22h00)
Sunday, August 9
QF 4: Winner Group D v 2nd Place Group C (19h00)
QF 3: Winner Group C v 2nd Place Group D (22h00)
Semifinals
Wednesday, August 12
SF2: Winner QF2 v Winner QF3 (19h00)
SF1: Winner QF1 v Winner QF4 (22h00)
World Cup 2027 play-off matches
Thursday, August 13
Loser QF2 v Loser QF3 (19h00)
Loser QF1 v Loser QF4 (22h00)
Third place play-off
Saturday, August 15
Loser SF1 v Loser SF2 (19h00)
WAfCON 2026 final
Sunday, August 16
Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 (Moulay Hassan Stadium or Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, (21h00)
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