Chakwera with the Scorchers
Fam.mw
President Lazarus Chakwera has applauded Malawi national women’s football team, The Scorchers, for their outstanding performance when they managed — for the first time ever — to reach the final match of the Confederation of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) Championship.
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Chakwera hosted the Scorchers at the Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe on Tuesday afternoon following their heroic performance in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, saying the team have made the nation proud and has committed his administration’s continued support to the team.
The Scorchers finished second at the just ended COSAFA Women’s Championship after a 1-0 loss to Tanzania in the final.
“You are history makers,” he told the girls. “Making it to the final for the first time is not a mean achievement and as a country, we are proud of you girls.
“As a leader, I strongly believe that if we all take your COSAFA achievement as a lesson, it won’t be hard to develop this country because something special will be happening where ever there is a Malawian since our performance will always be extraordinary.
The President has since urged the Scorchers not to be contented with the COSAFA achievement but to continue to work extra hard as they prepare for the back-to-back 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations qualifying games against Zambia later this month.
Scorchers captain Madyina Ngulube, who honoured Chakwera by presenting him a COSAFA Silver medal, thanked the President for hosting the team, saying the gesture is a motivation to the team.
“We never imagined that we would one day be here with you, Your Excellency and we are delighted for being hosted at the State House for the first time ever.
“The team comprised very hard-working girls who like playing football even though they don’t get meaningful returns. As a team, we believe that we have the ability to make it even further if we are given enough support,” said the captain.
In his remarks, Minister of Youth and Sports Ulemu Msungama said while the government is doing all it can to develop sports in the country, by among other things, constructing international standard sports facilities, a lot need to be done hence the need for the private sector to come in and help.
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