Marinica: 'Malawi don't love Malawi, they cheered Egypt'

by Staff Reporter

Friday Mar 31, 2023. 12:44

Malawi head coach Mario Marinica has slammed the Flames fans for showing more support for Egypt in their 2023 AFCON qualifier on Tuesday.

The Flames succumbed to a 4-0 defeat to Egypt in Lilongwe on Tuesday – a result which leaves Malawi on the verge of missing out on qualification for next year’s finals in Ivory Coast.

When reflecting on the match, Marinica made it clear that he was unhappy with the unpatriotic crowd who cheered for the visiting team at the Bingu National Stadium.

“Let’s just say, I don’t think Malawi loves Malawi, it’s as simple as that,” Marinica said on BBC Sport Africa.

“When we came out they cheered for Egypt – they didn’t cheer for Malawi. The Malawi national team is Malawi against everyone, because they [the fans] didn’t seem to like us.”

Although the Flames’ performance may have left the fans angry, he thinks his players felt the “cold shoulder” of the crowd.

“At the end of the day it’s their choice. They like the superstars of the moment and we don’t have that,” the Romanian tactician continued.

“People are free to express their opinion and sometimes, in anger, they do things differently. I thought there’s one heart of Africa – not the cold shoulder that we actually know is happening.”

Malawi, who are placed third on the Group D standings, will stand a good chance of qualifying if they defeat Ethiopia away in June and Guinea at home in September.