Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Mtulisi Mafa
6 September 2007
Harare — The remainder of the Malawi delegation arrived in the capital shortly before mid-day for their Nations Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe at Barbourfields on Sunday.
The Flames are scheduled to fly out to Bulawayo today where they will get down to serious business. The two Southern African nations crashed out of the race with Morocco clinching the berth to the finals to be held in Ghana next year.
But both camps agreed that, despite the fact that they won't be at the finals which reduces the value of this match, the game was still an important one. The Flames are confident of completing a rare double over the Warriors having beaten them 1-0 in Malawi in March last year and have brought a very strong squad that includes former Zimbabwe Player of the Year Joseph Kamwendo.
Kamwendo made a big impact when he led his former club CAPS United to the 2005 league title before turning his attention on a move to Europe. But the talented midfielder didn't last long in Denmark and is now a Buccaneer having signed for South African Premiership side Orlando Pirates.
The Malawians believe, especially after beating the Warriors in the first match of the three-team group, that their football has developed so much that they are even talking about being better than Zimbabwe.
They romped to victory against a Warriors side that virtually had all their best players but with the home side opting for a fresh start by calling in relatively young players from the domestic league, Malawi's claim will be under scrutiny.
The Warriors are in a precarious position having plunged out of the World top 100, a situation that was emphasised to the players by manager Ernest "Mapepa" Sibanda. Zimbabwe anchor the three-team standings with a single point while the Flames are on three points. The Warriors desperately need to win to bring a considerable measure of pride especially against the Flames who for many years have always played second fiddle.
The Warriors, meanwhile, continued with their preparations with a friendly match against champions Highlanders yesterday afternoon with assistant manager Charles "Mafripa" Dzvairo confirming that the final squad is set to be announced late today. Warriors caretaker coach Norman Mapeza has 20 players in camp and will only drop two for the final squad.
"Everything is going on well, the boys are excited about the game and are really focused on proving themselves that they are good players.
"We are having a practice match against Highlanders and the coaches want to try out their combinations and we have high hopes that the boys will deliver," Dzvairo said.
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