Lovemore Fazili

Lovemore Fazili
Personal information
Full name Lovemore Kingsley Fazili
Date of birth (1970-02-12) 12 February 1970
Place of birth Nkhotakota, Malawi
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Malawi Women (manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1995 MDC United
1995–1998 Silver Strikers
International career
1994–1998 Malawi 13 (5)
Managerial career
2016–2016 Silver Strikers
2023– Malawi Women
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Lovemore Kingsley Fazili (born 12 February 1970) is Malawian professional football manager and former player who is coach of the Malawi women's national football team. That team's performance at the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in 2026 was described as the most "remarkable by an international team in a major tournament ever".

Club career

Fazili was a professional footballer who played in the Super League of Malawi. He played for MDC United during the early 1990s (since at least 1993),[1][2] and then he played for Silver Strikers between 1995 and 1998.[2] With Silver Strikers, he won the Super League of Malawi in 1995–96,[3] the KAMUZU Cup in 1995, the BAT Sportsman's Trophy in 1995, and the Press Cup in 1997 and 1998.[4]

International career

He is credited with five FIFA goals over thirteen matches for Malawi between 1994 and 1998.[2] He debuted for Malawi on 9 October 1994 during the 2–1 loss against Zambia in Lusaka; he was a substitute.[5]

His first goals for Malawi came as a hat-trick against Tanzania on 6 July 1996.[6] He also represented Malawi during 1998 African Cup of Nations qualification and the 1997 COSAFA Cup.[2][7]

Managerial career

Silver strikers

Fazili coached his former club Silver Strikers from 2016 to 2017.[8]

Malawi Women

In 2023, he led the Malawi women’s national football team to their first COSAFA Women’s Championship title.[9] In 2026, the team qualified for the biennial Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.[10]

The team were ranked 153rd and they were the rank outsiders at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Rabat. However they won matches. The team's performance at WAFCON was described as the most "remarkable by an international team in a major tournament ever".[11] They reached the final after a 3–1 victory over Algeria.[12] Rose Kadzere was given a red card and Faith Chinzimu covered her role for the final with Cameroon.[13] where they were defeated 3–0. Cameroon became the champions at their fourth time in the WAFCON final.[14]

Career statistics

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[2]
National team Year Apps Goals
Malawi 1994 1 0
1995 0 0
1996 4 3
1997 6 2
1998 2 0
Total 13 5
Scores and results list Malawi's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Fazili goal.[2]
List of international goals scored by Lovemore Fazili
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1. 6 July 1996 Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi  Tanzania 1–0 3–2 Friendly [6]
2. 2–?
3. 3–?
4. 28 June 1997 Independence Stadium, Windhoek, Namibia  Namibia 1–4 1–4 1997 COSAFA Cup [15]
5. 9 August 1997 Silver Stadium, Lilongwe, Malawi  Tanzania 1–1 2–2 1997 COSAFA Cup [16]

Honours

Player

Silver Strikers

Manager

Malawi Women

References

  1. ↑ "Former star player Chiza Nyirongo takes people down memory lane reminiscing of MDC United". maraviExpress. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "Lovemore Fazili (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 2026-08-15.
  3. ↑ "Malawi 1995/96". RSSSF.
  4. ↑ "Bankers hit k15mil Airtel jackpot Silver 10 Wanderers 9". nyasatimes.com. June 3, 2017. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Zambia vs. Malawi 1994-10-09". National Football Teams.
  6. 1 2 "Malawi vs. Tanzania 1996-07-06". National Football Teams.
  7. ↑ Details of the 1997 COSAFA Cup at RSSSF
  8. ↑ Ndhlovu, Andrew (2017-05-05). "Silver title campaign a priority – Coach Fazili". Nyasa Times. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  9. ↑ Dindi, Sithembiso (2023-10-15). "Malawi dethrone Zambia to win first Cosafa Women's Cup title". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  10. ↑ "TotalEnergies CAF Women's AFCON 2026: Malawi ready for historic tournament debut". TotalEnergies CAF Women's AFCON 2026: Malawi ready for historic tournament debut. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  11. ↑ "Is Malawi's WAFCON run the most remarkable major tournament performance ever?". www.espn.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-08-16.
  12. ↑ Manaleng, Palesa. "'One step at a time': Coach Fazili keeps Malawi focused ahead of WAFCON semi-final". EWN. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  13. ↑ "With Rose Kadzere missing, Malawi once again turn to Faith Chinzimu in WAFCON final". www.tribalfootball.com. Retrieved 2026-08-17.
  14. ↑ "Wafcon 2026 final: Cameroon 3-0 Malawi - Marie Ngah Manga helps Indomitable Lionesses to first title". BBC Sport. 2026-08-16. Retrieved 2026-08-16.
  15. ↑ "Namibia vs. Malawi 1997-06-28". National Football Teams.
  16. ↑ "Malawi vs. Tanzania 1997-08-09". National Football Teams.
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