When defender Kieran Ngwenya decided to play for Malawi — the country of his father — in June 2021, there was jubilation among Malawians because of his talent.

However, that excitement later turned into disappointment after the player stopped responding to calls from Football Association of Malawi (FAM) officials. Since June 2021, Ngwenya has shown no interest in representing Malawi again despite continued efforts by the country to reach out to him.

Reports from the United Kingdom indicate that the 25-year-old left-back is now in talks to play for Trinidad and Tobago — the country of his mother’s origin.

A story published by the Daily Record says Ngwenya, who now plays for Dunfermline Athletic in Scotland, has held talks with Trinidad and Tobago and is ready to represent the country as they seek to rebuild following the resignation of their head coach last month.

The publication further states that Trinidad and Tobago are preparing to call up the Glasgow-born player for upcoming international friendlies this summer.

What happened?

The former Aberdeen youngster made one appearance for the Flames of Malawi in a 2-0 defeat to Tanzania. After the match, Ngwenya sensationally claimed that he and the Flames, under coach Marian Mario Marinica, had differing football philosophies.

In March 2023, while the Malawi national team was in camp in Saudi Arabia preparing for back-to-back 2023 AFCON qualifying matches against Egypt, Ngwenya was left out because Marinica believed the defender was not yet ready for international duty.

On August 30, 2024, then Flames coach Patrick Mabedi told the Malawi press that Ngwenya was not comfortable playing for Malawi and was therefore omitted from his squad.

When he initially chose to represent Malawi, Ngwenya explained that decision by stating that his father is Malawian and not South African.

“I’m Malawian, I’ve had this come up quite a lot. I think people get mixed up because of my surname,” he said.

“It’s crazy, it’s all come from some South African journalist’s mistake. My dad is Malawian and my mum’s from the Caribbean.”