First Lady joins Scorchers’ victory dance and photo spree at Kamuzu Palace
She swapped stateswoman formality for pure celebration – as First Lady Gertrude Mutharika was pictured dancing along with the Malawi Scorchers to the very morale songs the team belted out in their dressing room during their historic Wafcon campaign.
The First Lady joined in wholeheartedly with the players’ chants and routines during a lavish luncheon held in the Scorchers’ honour at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe, delighting the squad and turning what might have been a formal state reception into a joyful, family-style celebration.
The fun continued well beyond the dancing, with the First Lady posing for a string of playful photographs alongside the players – each snap seeing her strike a different pose with individual squad members, much to the amusement of those in attendance.
The Scorchers, appearing at the tournament for the first time in their history, finished as runners-up after a 3-0 defeat to Cameroon in Sunday’s final – a result that also secured Malawi’s place at the 2027 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Brazil as semi-finalists.
Adding to the celebratory mood, it emerged that President Peter Mutharika had rewarded every member of the squad, along with the technical panel, with K5 million each in recognition of their achievements at the tournament – a gesture relayed to the team by the First Lady during the luncheon.
In her speech, the First Lady said the President was overjoyed by the Scorchers’ performance, while also acknowledging the need for greater support for the team ahead of the 2027 World Cup next year.
However, she stopped short of making a firm promise on further backing, saying instead that as preparations for the tournament ramp up, she would team up with other stakeholders – including parliamentarians, mayors and others – to garner support for the team.
Scorchers captain Tabitha Chawinga thanked the First Lady for her support but insisted the team could achieve even more with the right backing.
The France-based forward argued that if the Scorchers could finish as runners-up in their debut Wafcon campaign, the sky was the limit for what they could achieve at next year’s World Cup.
‘We were not given a chance even back home here, but we managed to fight our way to the finals. We are excited and we are appealing for support so that we can prepare well for the next year’s World Cup tournament,’ Chawinga said.
She argued that investment in women’s football could bring much-needed foreign exchange into the country, pointing to the $750,000 Wafcon runners-up prize money as evidence of the sport’s economic potential.
Chawinga also revealed that the Scorchers’ foreign-based players were already channelling forex into the country from their international club earnings.
In the background, the Scorchers’ official sponsors, National Bank of Malawi plc, reaffirmed their support for the team, with the bank’s board chairperson Grant Kabango saying at the luncheon that there was significant economic potential in women’s football and pledging the bank’s continued commitment to walking alongside the team as they prepare to ‘conquer the world’.
FAM president Fleetwood Haiya said the association was reaping the rewards of its investment in women’s football.
The Scorchers defeated 10-time champions Nigeria 3-2, beat Egypt 3-1, and suffered a narrow 2-1 loss to neighbours Zambia during the group stages, but still finished as Group C winners to reach the quarter-finals, where they triumphed 2-1 against Ghana.
In the semi-finals, the Scorchers edged past Algeria 2-1 to book their place in the final.
