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| |  Tuesday, 10 April, 2001, 11:17 GMT 12:17 UK Malawi hero Mtawali to retire  Mtawali goes up for a header in what could now be his last game for Malawi, against Botswana Midfield maestro Ernest 'Chirwali' Mtawali has asked the Malawi Football Association to accept his retirement from the national team. Malawi FA secretary-general Chris Kamphinda Banda said in Blantyre that Mtawali, 35, had written to the FA asking for an immediate leave from the national side. Kamphinda said Mtawali had cited his long career with the national team, and the FA were inclined to accept his reasons. Mtawali, still a key figure for South African Premier Soccer League title favourites Orlando Pirates, has been a fixture for Malawi throughout most of the past 15 years. He is unsurprisingly rated as one of the country's best-ever players, if not the best, and has certainly made more than anyone of a professional career outside the country. Negative impact After leaving Malawi to play for a string of clubs in South Africa, Mtawali has also turned out for Newell's Old Boys and Talleres in the Argentinian top flight, as well as Toulouse in the French first division, and most recently in Saudi Arabia.
The Dane rated the impact of Mtawali's experience highly and said his presence in the team was a big motivating factor. Mtawali had a good match on his last outing for the Flames, when they ended a 12-match run without a victory, lasting 11 months, as they won 1-0 in Botswana in the first round of the Cosafa Castle Cup. However, Malawi have only picked up a point from their three World Cup qualifying games which have counted, and the end of any slim hope of reaching the Finals in Japan and South Korea may have prompted Mtawali to go now. It looks like the Flames will go into their next match in Burkina Faso on April 21 without their talisman, which will leave them with only four professionals playing outside the country. | | See also:  Other top Africa stories: Links to top Africa stories are at the foot of the page. | |
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