President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera on Wednesday gave a special treat to the Malawi's women football team, the Scorchers, at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe where he also announced that he would give each one of the players and officials K1.5 million and plot in Lilongwe.
Chakwera said the Scorchers' win is no mean achievement and that it did not happen by luck; hence, his decision to award the team.
The Scorcchers have emerged the winners in the COSAFA Women's Championship after betting South Africa 4-3 in its first group stage match.
"It is not by luck that you dismantled Eswatini by 8 goals to nil in your second group stage match. It is not by luck that you disoriented Madagascar with a 3 - 1 in your third group stage match. It is not by luck that you left our neighbours Mozambique dizzy with a 2 - 1 victory in the semi-final.
"And it is certainly not by luck that you snatched the crown from the grasp of the defending champions themselves with a 2 - 1 victory over Zambia, with a magical strike from Asimenye Simwaka in the first half and a winning strike from Sabina Thom in injury time to deny the Copper Queens of another title," said the President.
The Malawi leader said the championship is built on a lifetime of family support, decades of ambition to succeed, years of hard work, months of discipline, weeks of good coaching, and a timeless love of country.
He said it was therefore only right that, on behalf of all Malawians, he should host the team at Kamuzu Palace to celebrate and to thank it for making the nation proud.
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"I celebrate your unity, because in every match you play as one unit that cannot be divided by opposition or daunted by adversity. I celebrate your tenacity, because in every match you play as though your life depends on it. I celebrate your consistency, because this was your second appearance in a COSAFA CUP FINAL in three years.
"These are the qualities we all need to embrace in every arena of life as Malawians, because these are the qualities that will help us achieve the aspirations we share of building a new Malawi that is inclusively wealthy self-reliant industrialized upper middle income economy as enshrined in the Malawi 2063 Vision," said Chakwera.
He also congratulated stakeholders who played a role in making the victory possible, including the Ministry of Sports under his administration, the Malawi National Council of Sports, the Football Association of Malawi, Coach Lovemore Fazili, and the technical staff.
President Chakwera also congratulated Malawian supporters who watched the game in the stadium and remotely, stressing that whenever any Malawian is in any arena around the world representing the country, it is the duty of all citizens to show them their unwavering support.
"So, from the bottom and on behalf of 20 million joyful hearts, thank you for proving that Malawi as a country is a winning team, and I wish you more success in the tournaments to come.
"As for the needs you have presented today, I had a premonition of the appeals you were going to make. That's one of the reason I asked the Minister of Lands to be here so that he could also hear your requests.
"But I want you to know that I have also taken note of your appeals and we will address your concerns. And I also want to appeal to private sector companies to come in and support you because your exploits are a source of pride for all of us," said Chakwera.
