Photo Credit - Football Association of Malawi.
Malawi coach Kalisto Pasuwa faces the challenge of overcoming caretaker winning syndrome that doesn’t bear fruits in full-time jobs when he starts his Flames reign with a game against Comoros on Sunday in Lilongwe.
The two teams clash in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) first-leg match at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
Pasuwa was handed a two-year contract for the Flames job, a substantive replacement for Patrick Mabedi whose interim tenure was so impressive yet all that changed when handed a permanent mantle.
Four straight defeats in the last Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers condemned Malawi out of the race and cost the ex-Kaizer Chiefs defender his Flames job in December 2023.
Football Association of Malawi turned to the Zimbabwean to steady the ship and he did not disappoint, holding Burundi right in their backyard before beating Burkina Faso 3-0 for the first time in the Flames history.
The impressive results in the caretaker role proved a perfect job audition for the ex-Dynamos trainer who deservedly got the employment offer last month.
Pasuwa, who took Zimbabwe’s Warriors to the AFCON finals and CHAN finals, achieved anything a local club coach could yearn for winning 16 trophies in his five-year tenure at FCB Nyasa Big Bullets.
However, as others might have discovered, managing the Flames is always a gamble that does not end well. Caretaker reigns of previous coaches such as Meck Mwase and Mario Marinica did not translate into full-time success.
Questions have started emerging on Pasuwa’s call-up with analysts challenging his decision to discard experienced players Chimwemwe Idana, Stanley Sanudi and Isaac Kaliyati for inexperienced ones.
Pasuwa has since made a U-turn by recalling the likes of Binwell Katinji. As the Zimbabwean might discover, only a win over Comoros would end the emerging doubts on his reign.
His immediate challenge is getting the best from a largely inexperienced squad drawn from pre-season inactivity. Reflecting on the game against Comoros, Pasuwa said: “It is very difficult to work with players coming from pre-season, but we need to find an answer.”
The Flames face Comoros again at the same venue in the reverse fixture on February 8, 2025, following the request of the islanders who do not have a certified venue.
The winner of that match will face the winner between South Africa and Egypt in May for a place in the CHAN finals.
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