Malawi drop 10 places on FIFA ranking: Analysts not surprised
Soccer analysts in this country have described the recent Malawi national football team slip up on the latest FIFA’s official world ranking which was released on Wednesday, December 19, 2012 as not surprising and have urged soccer administrators to do something about it before things come to worse.
The Flames, who are in South Africa in readiness for the friendly match against Bafana Bafana this coming weekend have slipped from 101-111 in the world while in Africa the team has dropped further from 27 to 32.
The Flames had a bumpy 2012 CECAFA Tusker Challenge Cup following their poor form against Kenya and Rwanda.
The team was shown an exit door in the quarter finals after losing 1-0 to Kenya.
On the latest ranking, the country’s soccer analysts have described the development as worrisome but not surprising.
Malawi Television Senior Sports reporter, Chisomo Mwamadi said he was not surprised with the drop.
“It is a bad way to end the year but it is a clear indication that our football is going down. It is an indication that we have a situation that needs urgent attention. It is high time we revisited our football structures and put up vibrant programmes like youth programmes to develop football from the grass root and put up proper transition from the youth teams to the senior team,” he said.
Mwamadi went on to stress that the drop on the ranking indicates how tactless the nation has been.
Chipping in was The Nation newspaper senior Sports analyst, Peter Kanjere who stressed that as long as the Flames do not play with top teams, they will continue slipping on the FIFA ranking.
Kanjere said he saw it coming basing on how the team performed in the just ended Cecafa Senior Cup.
“If we cannot beat the likes of Kenya, Eritrea, do you really expect us to do well on FIFA rankings? We must do something otherwise we will continue dropping,” said Kanjere.
Kanjere was also of the view that it is high time the Flames start playing with big teams in Africa not second fiddle out-fits.
Zodiak Radio Senior Sports reporter, Mike Bango said he was not amazed because the country is reaping what it sowed.
“There is nothing that we have done to warrant us move up. We went to Cecafa yet we were not prepared. We missed the FIFA day for international friendlies. So what else can we get at the end. It is sad that we are finishing the year at this position,” said Bango.
Instead, Bango has urged the football administrators and the media to borrow a leaf from religious leaders sentiments that let 2013 be a year of change.
“Let us coordinate so that our team gets back in the top 80 to 100,” said Bango.
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