Malawi have been forced to Withdraw frow qualifying for the 2014 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco because of a lack of funds.

The decision was taken after the
government said there was
enough money for the team to
play in either the Nations Cup or
the 2015 Africa Youth
Championship.
"We have no choice but to forgo
the Nations Cup because
government advised us to
prioritise," said Malawi Football
Association (FAM) President
Walter Nyamilandu.

"We have therefore prioritised
the Under-20 Championship for
the sake of development - and
also the consequences of pulling
out of that tournament would
have been far-reaching since we
have already confirmed our
participation."

It is a big blow to the Flames,
who returned to action for the
first time in six months on
Wednesday 5 March with a
home friendly against
Zimbabwe, which they lost 4-1.
The match was meant to kick-
start Malawi's preparations for
the Nations Cup qualifiers and
FAM had funded the match.

Last September, the Malawi
government advised FAM to
forgo their last Africa Cup of
Nations qualifier against Nigeria
in Calabar since it had exhausted
its funding.
But the association went ahead,
forcing the government to draw
US$5,200 from the Presidential
Initiative on Sports to
supplement their $143,000
budget for the trip.
Sports minister Enock Chihana
advised FAM following their
failure to qualify for the 2013
Nations Cup in South Africa to
focus on grassroots football.

Reference:Vanguard