Malawi’s Scorchers are giving the country a rare reason to celebrate, with their Olympic qualifying campaign off to a winning start and growing support for women’s football.
The national women’s football team beat Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors 2-0 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Friday, with sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga scoring to give Malawi an advantage ahead of Tuesday’s return leg in Harare.
National Bank of Malawi (NBM) plc, which sponsors the Scorchers, has welcomed the victory, saying the team’s performance has boosted confidence ahead of the decisive encounter.
NBM plc Marketing and Corporate Affairs Manager Akossa Mphepo-Hiwa said the bank was pleased with the team’s display, describing the result as an encouraging start to the Los Angeles Olympic qualifiers.
She said the Scorchers had become a source of hope and national pride, with their performances inspiring Malawians and showing the growing appeal of women’s football.
“At this time, the Scorchers are our ray of hope. We have seen Malawians across the country rallying behind the team, and, for the first time, a women’s football match attracted paying spectators, with tickets selling out. This shows that, as sponsors, we made the right choice to invest in these ladies,” said Mphepo-Hiwa.
Mphepo-Hiwa has urged Malawians to maintain their support as the team travels to Zimbabwe seeking to protect its first-leg advantage and advance to the next qualifying round.
“We ask Malawians to come out and give the ladies the support they need as they continue giving us a reason to smile,” she said.
Scorchers coach Lovemore Fazili also thanked Malawians and NBM plc for the backing the team received during Friday’s match, saying the support motivated the players to fight for victory.
Fazili said the match also gave the technical panel an opportunity to assess some players in the team’s first outing since the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
He acknowledged that the return leg would be difficult but expressed confidence that Malawi could secure progression to the next round.
“The support charged the team to fight hard. This was our first match after the WAFCON tournament and it also gave us a chance to assess some of the players. Going to Harare, we anticipate a tough match, but we have all the confidence that we will carry the day and progress to the next stage,” said Fazili.