Gangata says Scorchers achieved, Flames still struggling

Youth, Sports and Culture Minister Alfred Gangata has singled out the Scorchers’ performance at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) in Morocco as one of the current administration’s notable achievements in its first year in office.

Gangata made the remarks on the 365 Days Cabinet Review programme on taxpayer-funded MBC Television, where he was asked to outline his ministry’s achievements and challenges.

“In sports, everybody knows what the Scorchers achieved. They qualified for the Wafcon final and booked a ticket to the [2027] Fifa Women’s World Cup,” he said.

He said Temwa Chawinga had also won the tournament’s Golden Boot.

Gangata pledged that government would support the Malawi Women’s National Football Team to ensure adequate preparations for the global showpiece in Brazil.

He also cited the operationalisation of K50 million in funding for each constituency towards sports development as another milestone.

However, he acknowledged that the Flames’ continued struggles remained a major challenge.

“For the first time, the national football teams got a record K3 billion allocation, which contributed to the Scorchers’ success, but the Flames continued to struggle. We will ensure that their performance improves,” he said.

France-based Scorchers captain Tabitha Chawinga welcomed the recognition.

“We appreciate the recognition and it is an honour,” she said, describing it as a source of motivation.

Sports analyst Charles Nyirenda said the minister’s assessment overlooked the Malawi Queens’ progress.

He said the ministry should have mentioned the revival of the national netball team, noting that expatriate coach Debbie Fuller had built a largely new side that finished seventh at the 2026 All Africa Games and qualified for the 2027 Netball World Cup after finishing third at the Africa Netball Cup.

Nyirenda also faulted the minister for failing to address stalled sports infrastructure, including projects at the Griffin Saenda Indoor Sports Complex and the Aquatic Centre in Lilongwe, and the uncertainty over the future of Kamuzu Stadium.

“There is also not much happening in some sports codes, such as athletics and amateur boxing, on the international stage,” he said.

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