With Christopher Njeula:
An all locally based finest contingent of players plying their trade in the country will on Saturday wear coveted Flames jerseys, to prove their wealth in the second round of CHAN qualifiers.
It is an assembly of what we deem the very best in the local football scenery parading in front of their kinsmen to be counted.
Flames benefited from Zimbabwe’s fall out from grace on FIFA regulations as they were sanctioned with a ban, giving room for Malawi to proceed to the next stanza without kicking the rolling rubber.
It remains to be seen if such was a blessing in disguise, otherwise meeting Zimbabwe could have provided a proper benchmarking of technical assessment of the local squad at the onslaught of the qualifiers.
Undoubtedly, Flames performance in the CHAN competition acts as a technical indicator to seriously measure the status of our local football. It gives properly defined technical tools of assessing the growth of the local game.
Marian Mario Marinica, has at his disposal invited an all-round Super league players into camp, perhaps underlying some quick examinations of the need to reinvent the relevance of second tier leagues.
He has in the camp some exciting local talent, tried and tested at some higher stages in Chimwemwe idana, Chikoti Chirwa, Micium Mhone, veteran Chiukepo Msowoya, Paul Ndlobvu, Charles Thom, Brighton Munthali, Stain Davie, Stanley Sanudi, Miracle Gabeya, Precious Sambani, Yamikani Chester, Schumaker Kuwali among others.
The neighboring Black Mambas of Mozambique, may not have anything to fancy in Lilongwe, Maputo is far much developed, their mission will be to carry on, where they left against Zambia’s Chipolopolo who they booted out from the competition.
They despite being churned by off-the pitch matters in player protests over unsettled allowances, are a team that can cause huge upsets, if left untamed. In beating Zambia, they have grown some belief, that can propel them ahead.
Local is lekker, so they say, east or west home is the best. Nothing beats local! The magnificent eleven that will be thrown into the field of play, have a rare invitation to make soccer loving Malawians, believe local, rocks! Will they?
