Scorchers goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo denies quitting national team — brands ‘resignation’ letter fake news

Scorchers goalkeeper Mercy Sikelo has moved to quash claims she has quit the Malawi National Team, insisting a statement announcing her dramatic resignation — which appeared on official Football Association of Malawi (FAM) headed paper — was nothing more than a cruel hoax.

The bogus announcement, which had circulated widely online, claimed Sikelo had made the difficult decision to walk away from the Scorchers following a wave of online abuse over her performance in the WAFCON final defeat to Cameroon.

But taking to her personal Facebook page, a furious Sikelo set the record straight, dismissing the statement as a deliberate act of disinformation designed to cause confusion.

The goalkeeper’s swift denial will come as a relief to fans across the country, many of whom had reacted with dismay at the prospect of losing one of the Scorchers’ key players just days after the team’s historic run to the WAFCON final.

The incident raises fresh questions over the spread of fake statements bearing official branding, with the fabricated letter having convincingly mimicked FAM’s own headed paper — fooling many before Sikelo herself stepped in to shut down the rumours.

With the confusion now cleared up, attention is likely to turn to who was behind the hoax, and why Sikelo was targeted with such a convincing piece of disinformation in the wake of Malawi’s landmark tournament campaign.