There's a particular kind of story football loves: the outsider who arrives late, reshapes everything, and walks away with a share of the glory. South African broadcaster SABC has just told that story about Sudesh Singh -- and Malawian fans might have a word or two to say about it.
Singh joined Malawi's technical setup as Technical Advisor shortly before the tournament, spending eight to ten days in camp before the squad flew out to Morocco.
By his own account, that was enough time to fundamentally reshape how the Scorchers operated -- on the pitch and off it.
"My position here was as Technical Advisor; to architect a High Performance environment and a culture of professionalism and excellence," Singh explained.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
"Designing and effectively implementing such a structure and framework for everyone to work under usually takes a long time, but despite the obvious challenges of resistance and pushbacks, we still kept on track for the objective of qualifying for the World Cup."
What followed genuinely was remarkable. Malawi, appearing at their first-ever WAFCON finals, stunned defending champions Nigeria in the group stage, navigated the knockout rounds, and reached the semi-finals -- enough on its own to confirm qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
They went further still, reaching the final itself before Cameroon proved too strong, winning 3-0 in Rabat.
Singh's explanation for the breakthrough leans heavily on what he calls his "Maximal Training" philosophy -- a framework he insists extends well beyond conventional coaching.
"MT isn't just a 'training' methodology but a holistic approach for High Performance and Elite football, as everything in football is interlinked," he said.
"You can't achieve success on the field of play if it's not matched by excellence and professionalism off the field and behind the scenes."
That, according to Singh, meant attention to detail on almost everything: sleep patterns, meal timing, training load, recovery windows.
"A big part of this planning was around attention to detail; circadian rhythm (body clock), what time we sleep, what time we eat, train, etc., etc."
Tactically, Singh says the game model was built around Malawi's obvious attacking strengths -- most notably sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga, alongside two young attackers based in France and Sweden -- while working to shore up a defensive structure that had less time to develop given the domestic league's delayed start.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
To his credit, Singh was careful to share praise with Malawi's own football structure, singling out FAM president Fleetwood Haiya and HOD Felister Dossi.
He also framed the achievement as a broader lesson for African football, calling for more modern, "bespoke" coach education across the continent, and arguing the Malawi project proved that a unified structure, properly resourced, can produce results anywhere.
None of that will be in dispute.
What will raise eyebrows back in Lilongwe is the framing itself -- a South African broadcaster running a piece built almost entirely around a South African coach's own testimony, for an achievement built, first and foremost, by Malawian players and a Malawian coaching staff who lived through the whole campaign, not just the final ten days before kickoff.
Singh's contribution may well have mattered. But the Scorchers' story -- the debutants who beat Nigeria, reached a first final, and booked a first-ever World Cup spot -- belongs to Malawi.
Whoever else wants a piece of the credit will need to get in line behind the people who actually wore the shirt.
