Malawi national team coach Kalisto Pasuwa faces heavy criticism after the Flames suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat to 195th-ranked São Tomé and Principe in their final 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Monday in Tunisia.
The loss capped a disappointing campaign that saw Malawi finish fourth in their group with 13 points, having conceded 10 goals and scored just eight—though three goals were awarded by FIFA after Equatorial Guinea failed to arrive for their match in Lilongwe on Thursday.
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Gomezgani Chirwa’s second-half penalty concession proved costly, but fans directed their anger at Pasuwa’s team selection, particularly the decision to leave experienced midfielder Wisdom Mpinganjira on the bench.
“According to Pasuwa, Babatunde is better than Malango and Wiz is a bench warmer,” commented one frustrated fan, Mpha Mk, on social media. Others questioned the tactical approach, with several suggesting the defeat appeared intentional.
“Attacking ziro y ma defending midfielder bweee.” Commented another one.
“The only funniest team in the world 😂🤣 is losing to a team that we’ve never won in our group. Pampunga team,” commented Charles Linoss.
Pasuwa deployed a 4-3-3 formation featuring a defensively minded midfield trio that lacked creativity. Lloyd Aaron, a natural holding midfielder, was pushed into an advanced playmaking role behind striker Babatunde Adepoju, while Yankho Singo anchored as the number six.
The attacking setup also raised eyebrows, with natural striker Richard Mbulu shifted to the right wing and Chawanangwa Kaonga on the left. Both wide players struggled to impact the game and were substituted early in the second half.
Coach Defends Selection
Pasuwa defended his choices post-match, insisting he had the right personnel.
“We had the right personnel to do the right job,” he explained. “You saw Lloyd Aaron’s performance and Njaliwa playing as a number 8, going up and down. We had numbers, but when we needed to catch them on the break, we were passing sideways, allowing them to recover.”
The coach acknowledged the psychological damage the defeat could inflict ahead of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
“It’s very unfortunate that we lost this game. We wanted to finish on a high note, but we ended up losing to São Tomé, a team behind us in world rankings,” Pasuwa admitted. “This is a factor that will affect us mentally going forward as we prepare for the 2027 AFCON campaign.”
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