Malawi Women’s National Team coach Lovemore Fazili says finishing as runners-up at the just-ended Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) has enhanced his curriculum vitae (CV) as a coach.
Fazili said he is not worried that his charges failed to win the WAFCON after they went down 3-0 to Cameroon in the final last night.
“It is a success reaching the final. This is the history we have made, not only for the country Malawi and players but also for me as coach, as the outcome has improved my CV as coach. I am happy, and I thank the players and Football Association of Malawi (FAM),” he said.
Commenting on the result, Fazili said Cameroon came at Malawi strongly, making it difficult for the Scorchers to withstand the pressure.
“Our strikers were tightly marked; at times you could see that one player was marked by three defenders. That pressure made us give them goals; of course I cannot blame anyone for those goals.
“We made changes, and the second half was to create chances, but it was not easy to score. We have learnt a lot and we hope this will help us next year at the World Cup,” he said.
Fazili said what he witnessed at this year’s tournament had provided valuable lessons and highlighted the need for Malawi to place greater focus on women’s football.
Malawi, who were making their WAFCON debut, finished as runners-up and will return home with US$750,000 in prize money.
At this year’s tournament, the Scorchers won four matches against Ghana, Egypt, Algeria and Nigeria, while suffering defeats to Zambia and Cameroon.
