BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)- Malawi Under-20 national football team head coach Enos Chatama has defended his 32-member provisional squad, saying players were selected on merit despite 14 coming from Ekhaya FC.
Chatama said this in an interview with MaraviPost Sports Desk, urging people not to focus on the number of players from one club but instead consider their quality and experience.
The coach says he has worked with most of the selected players through regional Under-20 competitions and COSAFA tournaments between 2022 and 2025.
According to Chatama, 21 players in the provisional squad have progressed through all stages of the national youth setup during that period.
He says their familiarity with the players has helped the technical panel assess their development and current ability before making the selections.
Chatama says the players were not selected simply because they belong to a particular club, but because they met the standards set by the technical panel.
He also points to a talent identification exercise held at Luwinga Technical Centre in Mzuzu as evidence that players from different parts of the country were given an opportunity to compete for places.
The coach says the exercise allowed the technical team to assess talent from across the country before finalising the provisional squad.
His comments come after the selection attracted criticism, particularly over the number of Ekhaya FC players included in the 32-member squad.
Ekhaya FC has supplied 14 players to the provisional squad, raising questions among some football followers about whether the selection adequately reflected the country’s wider talent pool.
However, Chatama maintains that club representation was not the determining factor, insisting that performance and merit guided the technical team’s decisions.
He says preparations for the upcoming match against Zambia have started well, with the technical team now focused on building a competitive side for the encounter.
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