Flames must perform against Bafana Bafana in CHAN Qualifiers - Kalima

Zebron Kalima: Photo Credit:

Football Association of Malawi (FAM).

Malawi senior national football team winger Zebron Kalima says the Flames need to make the most of home-ground advantage when facing South Africa’s Bafana Bafana on Saturday, May 3.

The Silver Strikers star said this as the Flames get set to host Bafana Bafana at Bingu National Stadium in the first leg of the final qualifying round.

Kalima, the only survivor from Malawi’s 2022 Africa Cup of Nations squad in the current CHAN Flames squad, said the players were motivated by their desire to earn a maiden qualification to the continental finals.

“We know Malawi has never qualified for the CHAN finals, but now that we are in the second round, if we perform well at home, we have a good chance to qualify,” he told Football Association of Malawi media.

“Morale is high in camp. CHAN is different from AFCON because, at AFCON, teams assemble their best international players, but in CHAN, it’s all about locally based talent, which puts us on a more level playing field with our opponents.”

Earlier, Bafana Bafana B’s team coach Molefi Ntseki said they will go to Lilongwe hoping to score and make life easier in the reverse fixture in South Africa.

Bafana Bafana will host the Flames at Loftus Stadium in Tshwane on Sunday, 11 May. The overall winner will qualify for the CHAN finals scheduled for Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda in August 2025.