By Burnett Munthali
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) has shifted the 2024 Cosafa Cup to a later date.
The tournament was supposed to be played from June 14 to 23 in Durban, South Africa .
However, in a statement on Tuesday 4 June 2024, Cosafa announced that it will set a new date for the regional showpiece after discussions with various stakeholders.
“The new dates for COSAFA will be in June or July of this year and will be based on the best possible exposure for all stakeholders to ensure a world-class competition that helps take football in the region forward,” the statement reads.
Football Association of Malawi (Fam) intends to send the under-23 national football team to this year’s tournament with FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Coach Kalisto Pasuwa expected to lead the side instead of Flames coach Patrick Mabedi.
Last year, the Flames finished fourth following a 5-3 loss to hosts South Africa at King Zwelithini Stadium, Durban, South Africa.
The COSAFA Cup (known fully as COSAFA Senior Challenge Cup) is an annual tournament for teams from Southern Africa organized by Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA), inaugurated after the ban against the Republic of South Africa had been lifted and the African Cup of Nations had been staged there in 1996. In
Durban, a coastal city in eastern South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, is known for its African, Indian and colonial influences. Refurbished for soccer’s 2010 World Cup, the seafront promenade runs from uShaka Marine World, a huge theme park with an aquarium, to the futuristic Moses Mabhida Stadium. The Durban Botanical Gardens showcases African plant species.
The Malawi Under – 23 national Football team is the Reserve side of the Flames. It was very active in the 80’s and early 90 but disappeared in the late 90.
It was resurrected in 2002 when it participated in the 2003 All Africa Games and 2004 Olympic Games Qualifiers.
The team lost in first round of the qualifiers of both competitions to Rwanda and South Africa respectively.
In 2003 the Under 23 played Botswana national team as part of the Independence Celebrations as the Flames were away in Angola for a 2004 Afcon Qualifying match.
The team went into wilderness again only to resurface in 2007 when it participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
