Scorchers coach Lovemore Fazili has heaped praise on Football Association of Malawi (FAM) leadership, led by president Fleetwood Haiya, crediting the association’s meticulous preparation for the team’s historic run to the WAFCON quarter-finals. The coach revealed that a packed schedule of friendly matches, combined with consistent encouragement from FAM’s leadership, had given his players the platform and confidence needed to compete against far more established footballing nations. ‘We had a lot of friendly matches and motivation from the office,’ Fazili said. ‘President Fleetwood Haiya has put in a lot of effort throughout, so this is a token of appreciation to him.’ Fazili’s comments echo those of FAM president Haiya himself, who was pictured leading emotional celebrations among the players in Rabat, describing the achievement as ‘a milestone truly worth celebrating for Malawian football.’