The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the dates for Flames’ last two 2022 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches against South Sudan and Uganda in March.
The Flames will face South Sudan away on Wednesday March 24, 2021 before winding up their Group B campaign at home against Uganda on Monday March 29, 2021.
The venue for the away match is not confirmed yet as South Sudan are playing their home matches outside their country.
They played their first match against Burkina Faso in Khartoum, Sudan while in November they played host to Uganda in Nairobi, Kenya.
FAM Competitions and Communications Director Gomezgani Zakazaka said the Uganda match will be played at the Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
“We have received the confirmation from CAF about the dates and kickoff times,” he said. “We are just waiting for the away match venue.
“As FAM we will now start planning for the two matches, technically and operationally to ensure that we are prepared to compete as a team as well deliver the home match.
“These are must win matches as we need maximum points for us to qualify for AFCON,” Zakazaka said.
The Flames are third in group B with four points, four behind leaders Burkina Faso while Uganda are second with seven points while South Sudan anchor the group with three points.
Two top teams from the group will qualify for the 2022 AFCON finals to be held in Cameroun.
Meanwhile, Malawi’s top female FIFA referee Bernadette Kwimbira has described her first match at the ongoing CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Cameroon as a big milestone in her career.
Kwimbira, who is one of the few female referees at a CAF Men’s final tournament for the first time, was the second assistant referee during Guinea’s 3-0 win over Namibia in a group D match at Limbe Omnisports Stadium on Tuesday evening.
The Zomba-based referee said she had a good game and was motivated with positive feedback from her assessors.
“It was a great experience,” she said. “I gave it all as this in not just about me as I am representing Malawi and African Women Referees.
“This was a trial game for us female referees and we were mixed with male refs. We got positive feedback from the CAF Referees Coordinator so we hope for a possible ‘all ladies’ match.
“On the match itself, it was a good match though it was very hot. But we adapted and survived because we went through the same conditions during training sessions,” she said.
Prior to the CHAN, Kwimbira’s high profile tournaments included two FIFA Women’s World Cups, Olympics games and five CAF Women’s AFCONs.
In 2019 she also made history by becoming one of the first female referees to officiate in CAF AFCON qualifiers
