Kafoteka predicts worse results for Junior Flames
By Lucky Millias
With few days after the Malawi National Football Team Under 20 head coach Patrick ‘General’ Mabedi released the call up to start preparations for 2022 Cosafa Youth Championship slated next month in eSwatini, former Malawi National Football Team defender Elvis Kafoteka has predicted that the Junior Flames will be booted early in competition.
Kafoteka lamented that poor selections of players are some of factors that will cost the team not to deliver.
The former Joseph Football Club coach hinted that the selection were favoured one side which is Nyasa Big Bullets Reserve which contributed more players to the Junior Flames while other players were dumped.
This is very very unfair to our football. How can one team contributed over seven players to the national team when we have alot of youth teams in the country?
“As country we are failing to move forward. This is the same style which also costed senior team to fail to qualify to CHAN. Do you want to tell me that in other teams like Extreme Football Club or Airborne Rangers who are doing well in the Central Region Football Association Premier League there players are over 20 years?” he asked.
Kafoteka suggested that the football mother body, Football Association of Malawi (FAM) could use the former Malawi National Football Team players to search good players in different district.
He further said with the current squad, Malawians should forgot of positive results in the competition.
“Ask me once the competition starts you will see what will happen. We will also fail to qualify for TotalEnegies African Cup of Nations,” he said.
The Junior Flames is in Group C alongside South Africa, Comoros and Namibia.
The Malawi National Football Team Under 20 will start the 2022 Cosafa Youth Championship against South Africa on 8 September at Simhlolo stadium before facing Comoros Islands two days later at Mavuso stadium and they will finish Group C campaign against Namibia on 12 at Simhlolo stadium.
This year Cosaafa Youth Championship will starts on 6 and finished on 16 September and teams will also use the same competition as TotalEnegies African Cup of Nations qualifiers.