From a football perspective, it is difficult to get excited when you hear the name Malawi.
Flames looking to cause a stir in Angola
From a football perspective, it is difficult to get excited when you hear the name Malawi.
However, the Flames will be looking to turn a few heads when they compete at the African Cup of Nations in Angola.
Drawn alongside the hosts, Mali and Algeria, Malawi have a big chance to show the footballing fraternity what they are all about as they look to rise from the shadows of their bigger neighbours.
The competition will be Malawi's second appearance at the African Cup of Nations. The Flames' first showing at the tournament was back in 1984, where they failed to get past the first round, but did manage a 2-2 draw against giants Nigeria.
Malawi started their qualification campaign by finishing second in Group 12 of the first round of CAF qualifying, second only to Egypt. Their 12 points made sure that they finished high on the runners-up table and as a result were handed the chance of reaching the 2010 World Cup in the final round of qualifying.
However, the second round proved too big a hurdle for the side as they managed just one win and a draw. Their third-place finish behind Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, however, was good enough to see them earn a place at AFCON 2010.
Player to watch: Russel Mwafulirwa
Russel Mwafulirwa is the man whom Malawi pin their goalscoring hopes on.
Although the former Ajax Cape Town hitman does not have the best record for his country, he is still a constant threat and is always looking to move into dangerous areas.
The 26-year-old will have gathered some invaluable experience from his current tenure in Sweden with IFK Norrköping and that will no doubt help his side at AFCON.
Coach: Kinnah Phiri
Kinnah Phiri knows exactly what it means to Malawi people that their side is successful having played for the national side during the 1970s.
The former Malawi Under-23 coach has been in charge of club sides Bakili Bullets and Free State Stars during his career. There is optimism within the Malawian game that Phiri is the man to take the team forward and he has done half the job already.
