The Football Association of Malawi have announced that as per the CAF 2021 AFCON pre-match protocols, the Flames players and officials underwent a Covid-19 PCR test on Wednesday afternoon, 48 hours before the team’s second Group B match against Zimbabwe this Friday .

All the 28 players have tested negative and are available for selection for the Friday Match.

Head of delegation Tiya Somba Banda said: “We are delighted that all the players have been cleared.

” We would like to thank our medical team for their effort and dedication in taking care of the team. We now have a full squad and look foward to Thursday’s training which will bring together the whole sqaud for the first time.

“It’s a timely boost so that we have all the players available for the Zimbabwe game which is a must win for us to remain in contention for a place in the knock-out stages.”

The Flames had 15 players only for their first game against Guinea on Monday, which they lost 1-0, as six players tested positive for COVID-19 while two others were still in Saudi Arabia.  FAM has also brought in five players who were on Reserve list to boost the squad.

Source: Football Association of Malawi