Pasuwa defends Flames squad selection amidst favouritism claims

Flames head coach Kalisto Pasuwa has strongly refuted accusations of favouring players from Big Bullets in his national team selections, asserting that his choices are based purely on experience and performance.

The former Bullets coach has faced scrutiny from some football pundits for consistently including a higher number of players from Big Bullets, followed by Mighty Wanderers and Silver Strikers, in the national squad.

MORE NEWS FROM WAMPIRA

The recent 2025 Cosafa Cup squad, from which the Flames were eliminated in the group stages, featured seven players from Bullets, six from Mighty Wanderers, and four from Silver Strikers.

Speaking at the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) headquarters on Thursday, following the team’s return from South Africa, Pasuwa addressed the allegations head-on.

“On team selection, yes, I’m in a situation where I’m a former Bullets coach. But remember, when I came here, I came as a coach and I’m very professional enough where I’m supposed to exercise my professionalism on Malawi’s football,” Pasuwa stated.

He further explained his rationale for selecting players from certain clubs. “One thing which makes a team is to have combinations. I’m given two days to train the players and then out of those, maybe four players are used to each other, they can combine maybe for us to get results. Then taking it out of that, Bullets have been playing in Champions League, where there is structured football. They have same kind of football when playing for the National Team.”

Pasuwa also highlighted the trend of top-performing players from other clubs being acquired by the leading teams. “Players who are playing well for clubs like Kamuzu Barracks are being bought by Mighty Wanderers and Bullets, so we take them to the National Team. It’s not that we favour them but that’s it,” he added.

During the Cosafa Cup, Pasuwa’s assistant and current Bullets head coach, Peter Mponda, was visibly present on the touchline. This led to speculation about who was truly in charge, particularly given the Flames’ disappointing results: a 1-0 loss to Lesotho, a 0-0 draw with Namibia, and another 1-0 defeat to Angola.
Pasuwa clarified his limited touchline presence, attributing it to medical instructions.

“Yah, I was in charge of the team. It’s only maybe you were not seeing me on the touchline but we worked hand in hand with the coaches. I was passing the information to Peter Mponda on what to do, it’s unfortunate that I couldn’t stand and be on the touchline, but I was in charge. I was told by the doctors not to stand maybe for about 10 minutes, I was still under medical instructions even now,” he explained.

Indeed, five Bullets players started the Lesotho match, four in the Namibia game, and the starting lineup remained unchanged for the Angola defeat. Pasuwa affirmed that despite his physical absence from the touchline, he was actively involved in all aspects of team planning and decision-making.

Despite the recent string of disappointing performances, including early exits in both the CHAN and Cosafa Cup under his leadership, Pasuwa remains steadfast in his long-term vision. He insisted that he is actively building a team capable of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

“When building a team there is a time where you want to see each and every player playing in national team. One area which we should have to know at a time when you are building a team you look at age. Yes, we know that outside there you need instant results, and think that if we take an experienced players we can get results,” he explained, emphasizing the importance of nurturing young talent.

Pasuwa also delved into his tactical philosophy. “Mostly, we have been playing possessional football, with fast-break attack. Yes, then there are times where we need to be patient enough, trying to invite opponents to be coming to us, then we attack spaces.

“But, it needs players who are patient enough, especially, the guys who are playing at the back. For one to play in those spaces, you need a lot of movements.”

He further elaborated on the tactical variations employed during the tournament. “The other thing which you also wanted to know is maybe formation, saying maybe first game we played 4-2-3-1 then we played 3-4-3 which these guys responded very well.

“But again, like I said we didn’t have goals coming, we will try our best and teach them on that.”