WAFCON warm-up: Fazili highlights importance of friendlies against Lesotho

Malawi senior women’s national football team coach Lovemore Fazili has stressed the importance of friendlies against Lesotho in preparation for the forthcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) qualifying assignments.

Fazili said this ahead of friendlies against Lesotho’s Mehalalitoe on Friday, August 29 and Sunday, August 31 at Mpira Stadium, Blantyre. The Scorchers will host Lesotho to fine tune for the COSAFA Women’s Championship and WAFCON qualifiers slated for October.

The coach, therefore, emphasized the importance of the matches to the 2023 COSAFA Cup champions.

“We are focusing on rectifying all departments of the team, having combined experienced and new players in the squad,” Fazili told Football Association of Malawi media.

“It’s a friendly, yes, but since we are preparing for the WAFCON qualifiers and COSAFA Cup in October, these are must-win games. We have to make sure we build a strong team so that when the foreign-based players come in October, we are ready.”

Fazili added that the matches offer up-and-coming players such as Hope Chikunga (Ekhaya), Fanny Moyo and Faluna Umali (Mighty Wanderers), and Enelles Fabiano (Mzuzu City Hammers) a chance to show their potential in the national team colours.

The only setback for Fazili is that he will be without experienced forward Mary Chavinda who is injured.

Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga are among foreign-based players unavailable for the matches as they fall outside FIFA’s calendar for international engagements. Malawi will take their strength-building matches to eight ahead of the WAFCON qualifiers against Angola next month.

⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.