'Officials were against us'- Malawi's Pasuwa fumes after defeat to Tunisia in WCQ

Malawi head coach Kalisto Pasuwa has blamed officiating for his team’s 2-0 defeat to Tunisia last night, which ended their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The loss in Tunis leaves Malawi second from the bottom in Group H with six points from six matches. Tunisia leads the group with 16 points, followed by Namibia with 12 and Liberia with 10.

The Flames conceded in the 86th minute while playing with 10 men after midfielder Lloyd Aaron received a red card. Tunisia then doubled their lead in the 90th minute through a penalty—a decision that left Pasuwa frustrated, as he held the referees responsible for his team’s downfall.

“The boys looked down after the painful ending,” said Pasuwa, who suffered a second defeat since being given the mantle to lead the Flames. “But that goal [first goal] was an offside, plus that there was a foul before it but officials couldn’t give us a foul. The second [goal] was a dive but they were awarded a penalty, to me it was a soft penalty.”

Reflecting on the overall performance, Pasuwa noted that his team played well in the first 45 minutes, successfully frustrating the hosts, who struggled to break through.

“We had some chances that could have given us a goal but unfortunately we couldn’t. Second half we made technical changes …after a red card we had some problems up to 85 minutes when they scored,” said Pasuwa.