JOHANNESBURG – Malawi coach Meke Mwase has revealed how South African Jomo Sono played a major role in inspiring him to mentor at the highest level.
Mwase played for Jomo Cosmos (Sono owns and coaches the club) for three seasons in the 1990s during a successful career in which he was a stalwart of the Malawi national side.
The 48-year-old was appointed to lead The Flames – as the Malawi men’s football team are known – last year, where he has Orlando Pirates striker Gabadinho Mhango and Baroka FC midfielder Gerald Phiri among his troops.
“I enjoyed playing football, but coaching is a very big job and a very stressful job” Mwase told cosafa.com.
“You always have to pick a team to win the game, because in Malawi the people want their team to win all the time and that hasn’t happened in a long time.
“It was a big blessing for me to meet Jomo Sono. He has been like a father to me. I enjoyed playing for his team and he always encouraged me. He helped me to be a good player for the team.
“So it was nice making me a captain in my first year there. It was a great thing.”
Meanwhile, South Africa Under-17 captain Jessica Wade has earned a trip to Spain courtesy of LaLiga next year, where she will get to train with local sides and hopefully take in a league game if Covid-19 allow.
“It’s an incredible opportunity and such a wonderful surprise, I had no idea something like this existed,” Wade says. “To get the message that says you have an opportunity to go to Spain and train with local clubs and learn about their football culture is incredible and such a wonderful opportunity.”
African News Agency (ANA)