Malawi game loss - The aftermath

Malawi national soccer coach, Stephen Constantine has suspended three of his key players Joseph Kamwendo, Fischer Kondowe and Ndaziona Chilemba, for apparently breaking camp rules prior to the Flames' 1-3 thumping by Zimbabwe last Sunday (Sept 9).

Kamwendo, a gifted left-sided midfielder who won the Soccer Star of the Year award in 2005 with Harare side CAPS United, Kondowe and Chilemba are said to have sneaked out of the hotel they were booked, Holiday Inn here and had a night out on the eve of the 9 September game.

The British coach said the trio, which is based in South Africa had a disastrous outing at Barbourfields Stadium, mainly because of their indiscipline, said an influential Malawi newspaper, The Daily Times, in a report published three days after the match.

"There are some players who are in the comfort zone, who seem to take the national team for granted. Next game they will not be there. I discovered that the three players had been out on Saturday before the game," said Constantine.

"Kamwendo, Fischer and Ndaziona left the hotel without permission and that is obviously not acceptable. I wasn’t aware of this until after the game."

Kamwendo, Kondowe and Chilemba play for Orlando Pirates, Black Leopards and Silver Strikers respectively in South Africa
Constantine announced the suspensions while addressing the Malawian media at Kamuzu Stadium, after his first team with all its foreign-based professionals was thumped 1-3 by a second string Zimbabwean side in a dead rubber African Cup of Nations tie here.
Kingstone Nkhata, Method Mwanjali and Richard Mteki scored for the hosts.

The coach blamed poor preparations for his charges’ lethargic performance against Norman Mapeza’s youths at Barbourfields Stadium. He suggested that the Warriors had better preparations because they trained in Malaysia ahead of the Malawi match.
"While we were just staying, Zimbabwe were in Malaysia preparing for the game which already put us at a disadvantage," The Daily Times quoted him as saying.

He said he wanted to be given more time to build a winning team. He has lost all the six matches Malawi has played under him.
Asked how much time he needs to build a winning side, he replied:

"About two and half years. I don’t think you can judge any coach after six or 12 games; you’ve got to give him a season to adapt to the situation, then the following year you start building. Obviously as a coach I take responsibility but I wouldn’t be here if I knew I had nothing to offer," he said.

However, Constantine, said his charges did not deserve to win the match due to poor performance by some players.

"There are a lot of problems that the Flames are facing. I know the FA and the government are doing all their best to solve them. It’s not an easy job and I want to win just like everybody does. It’s either we move on or we get stuck where we are."

The Malawi National Council of Sports vice-chairman, Dean Pinto advised the coach listen to advice.

"There is need for the coach to be ready to take in advice from people who are well versed in Malawi football like sports journalists," he said told the paper. On the suspended trio, Constantine said they sneaked out of camp prior to Sunday’s match.