Former Cabinet minister Vitumbiko Mumba has accused politicians of rushing to Morocco to associate themselves with the Scorchers’ historic WAFCON campaign, saying their sudden involvement felt like a “bad omen”.
Mumba made the remarks after Malawi suffered a 3-0 defeat to Cameroon in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday.
He said he felt sorry for the Scorchers when he saw politicians flocking to Morocco for the final matches, arguing that some were trying to take credit for a success they had not contributed to.
“It felt like a bad omen,” Mumba said in a post on Sunday.
Mumba also took aim at politicians who, he said, had begun attributing the Scorchers’ success to the “wise and dynamic leadership” of those in power.
He said the players had done incredibly well and warned politicians seeking to “harvest where they did not sow” to stay away from the team if they are to succeed at next year’s global tournament.
The former minister also congratulated the Scorchers and praised their official sponsors, National Bank of Malawi, for supporting the team during its historic campaign.
Following the defeat, the Scorchers have finished as runners-up in their first-ever WAFCON final appearance, capping a historic campaign despite falling short of the title.
The defeat was Malawi’s second of the tournament. The Scorchers first lost 2-1 to Zambia in the group stage but progressed to the knockout phase, where they defeated Ghana in the quarter-finals and Algeria in the semi-finals.
