Harambee Stars held Malawi to a barren draw during a friendly international match played in Blantyre.
It was a highly balanced match but strikers in both teams were guilty of squandering a number of chances in the tie on Sunday.
Harambee Stars team manager Peter Serry, who spoke to Sportfest on phone from Malawi said his side played well but could not find the back of the Malawi net. Kimanzi had fielded only the local based players for the match that was part of Malawi Independence Day celebrations.
Top stars like Denis Oliech, Robert Mambo, Patrick Oboya and Titus Mulama didn’t make the trip to Malawi.
Kimanzi has lost only one match since taking over from Jacob Mulee and would be happy to continue with the good run of form before Stars take on Namibia in a World Cup qualifier in September.
It was a good outing for Stars considering that Malawi have had a string of good results and also because they were playing at home.
Malawi had beaten African champions Egypt in a World Cup/African Cup of Nations qualifier and many expected them to also beat Harambee Stars.
The last time the two sides met, Malawi had demolished Stars 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier in 2005 although it was of no consequence as both teams had already being eliminated from the qualifiers.
Sunday, 6 July 2008
McConnell told: pick Motherwell or Malawi
The former first minister has been warned to set a date for quitting as an MSP and becoming high commissioner in the African country
The government of Malawi yesterday challenged Jack McConnell to choose between remaining a member of the Scottish parliament and becoming British high commissioner in the African country.
Henri Mumba, Malawi’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, warned the former first minister that his failure to set a date to take up the diplomatic post is “unsatisfactory” and means Malawi is faced with a period of damaging uncertainty.
McConnell was awarded the post by Gordon Brown after agreeing to stand down as Scottish Labour leader after the party’s election defeat last year.
Last month, he was criticised by the foreign affairs select committee at Westminster for refusing to stand down as an MSP to ensure a seamless transition with Richard Wildash, the current high commissioner, who departs the post in January.
McConnell told the committee in April he had still not agreed a starting date and might not even take up the post next year.
The committee suggested that his reluctance to surrender his Motherwell and Wishaw seat is politically motivated because of fears Labour will lose the subsequent by-election. McConnell’s majority at the last Holyrood election was cut to 5,938, with a 6.9% swing from Labour to the SNP.
Mumba said government officials in Malawi have been surprised at the possibility of a long gap between the present high commissioner leaving and McConnell’s starting date.
“We ask that he quietly decides whether to quit as MSP and come to Malawi or decides to serve his constituency,” he said. “We would like to urge both the British authorities and Mr McConnell himself to resolve the situation quickly so that our country is adequately represented by the British government.
“Although we have very little control over this, we feel that Malawi might suffer if Mr
McConnell does not make a decision quickly.”
The SNP said McConnell should choose between Motherwell and Malawi and accused him of hanging on to save Labour’s blushes.
“The high commissioner to Malawi should be a strong representative of the country, and Malawi clearly wants someone to take up that position as soon as possible,” said a spokesman for the nationalists.
“This just increases the pressure on McConnell to make up his mind quickly. It’s not sustainable that he’s going to be the high commissioner to Malawi and the MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw at the same time. We are ready for that by-election whenever he does it.”
The Foreign Office said it wants McConnell in post as soon as possible.
Last month, it emerged that McConnell will take on his role as high commissioner to Malawi alone after his wife decided to stay in Scotland to pursue her career.
Bridget McConnell, chief executive of Culture and Sport Glasgow, will remain in Glasgow to continue preparations for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and to complete a university doctorate.
Jack McConnell has long-standing links with the African country, one of the poorest in the world. He is credited for being instrumental in persuading the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative — the charitable foundation set up by Bill Clinton, the former US president, and Tom Hunter, the Scottish billionaire — to work in Malawi.
As first minister, McConnell unveiled a Scottish executive action plan that included £3m a year in funds for charities working in the African nation. He also helped to launch a cash appeal.
McConnell’s posting will entitle him to a diplomatic car, a staff of 40 and a colonial-style official residence in the Malawi capital, Lilongwe.
The government of Malawi yesterday challenged Jack McConnell to choose between remaining a member of the Scottish parliament and becoming British high commissioner in the African country.
Henri Mumba, Malawi’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, warned the former first minister that his failure to set a date to take up the diplomatic post is “unsatisfactory” and means Malawi is faced with a period of damaging uncertainty.
McConnell was awarded the post by Gordon Brown after agreeing to stand down as Scottish Labour leader after the party’s election defeat last year.
Last month, he was criticised by the foreign affairs select committee at Westminster for refusing to stand down as an MSP to ensure a seamless transition with Richard Wildash, the current high commissioner, who departs the post in January.
McConnell told the committee in April he had still not agreed a starting date and might not even take up the post next year.
The committee suggested that his reluctance to surrender his Motherwell and Wishaw seat is politically motivated because of fears Labour will lose the subsequent by-election. McConnell’s majority at the last Holyrood election was cut to 5,938, with a 6.9% swing from Labour to the SNP.
Mumba said government officials in Malawi have been surprised at the possibility of a long gap between the present high commissioner leaving and McConnell’s starting date.
“We ask that he quietly decides whether to quit as MSP and come to Malawi or decides to serve his constituency,” he said. “We would like to urge both the British authorities and Mr McConnell himself to resolve the situation quickly so that our country is adequately represented by the British government.
“Although we have very little control over this, we feel that Malawi might suffer if Mr
McConnell does not make a decision quickly.”
The SNP said McConnell should choose between Motherwell and Malawi and accused him of hanging on to save Labour’s blushes.
“The high commissioner to Malawi should be a strong representative of the country, and Malawi clearly wants someone to take up that position as soon as possible,” said a spokesman for the nationalists.
“This just increases the pressure on McConnell to make up his mind quickly. It’s not sustainable that he’s going to be the high commissioner to Malawi and the MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw at the same time. We are ready for that by-election whenever he does it.”
The Foreign Office said it wants McConnell in post as soon as possible.
Last month, it emerged that McConnell will take on his role as high commissioner to Malawi alone after his wife decided to stay in Scotland to pursue her career.
Bridget McConnell, chief executive of Culture and Sport Glasgow, will remain in Glasgow to continue preparations for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and to complete a university doctorate.
Jack McConnell has long-standing links with the African country, one of the poorest in the world. He is credited for being instrumental in persuading the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative — the charitable foundation set up by Bill Clinton, the former US president, and Tom Hunter, the Scottish billionaire — to work in Malawi.
As first minister, McConnell unveiled a Scottish executive action plan that included £3m a year in funds for charities working in the African nation. He also helped to launch a cash appeal.
McConnell’s posting will entitle him to a diplomatic car, a staff of 40 and a colonial-style official residence in the Malawi capital, Lilongwe.
Malawi’s football-shaped home
A Dutch architect took the BBC's Aubrey Sumbuleta on a tour of his football-shaped house where he lives in Malawi's commercial capital, Blantyre, with his Malawian wife.
Until about five years ago, Jan Sonkie was just an ordinary Dutch national operating in Malawi but now, everybody talks about him.
He has constructed a unique house in the shape of a football.
Standing on a three-metre high brick wall, Sonkie's house has become a tourist attraction, as many do not believe that human beings stay in the house.
Drinking den?
"Many people thought this was a drinking den and that we were sleeping in the normal houses on the other side of the fence," says Thokozani Sonkie, Jan's Malawian wife.
She says a lot of people including women normally come around to take a look at the house.
"They want to take a look at my kitchen and bedroom because they don't believe a house of this shape can have these things inside," she says adding, "after taking a look, those with cameras take pictures of the house."
Something different
Why construct a football house?
Jan Sonkie an architect by profession says he wanted to do something different from the rest of the buildings in Malawi.
"After having a good think, I settled for a football-shaped house because of the plot that I was allocated," he says.
Sonkie says the four-storey house that has at least a room on each floor is warm during winter and cold during summer because of its building specifications.
"The outside is all metal and the inside all wooden hence the self control of the weather."
Crazy
What do people say about his idea?
Sonkie says that a lot of people could not believe him when he hatched plans to construct the football house.
"Maybe I am crazy but I have a passion for football, although my busy construction schedule does not allow me sometimes to follow the game."
Sonkie says he decided to build his unique house in Malawi because he just likes Africa and would like to stay on the continent forever.
The Sonkies stay alone in the house. They don't have children and so the rest of the rooms are left for visitors.
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