Malawi will withdraw from African Cup qualifying

Malawi's soccer association says it will withdraw from 2019 African Cup of Nations qualifying because it doesn't have enough money to fund the national team.

The Football Association of Malawi says it needs to officially inform the Confederation of African Football of its intention to withdraw and also will not compete in next year's African Nations Championship.

Malawi is likely to face financial penalties and could be suspended from future tournaments.

The FAM says in a statement it is "fully aware of the negative implications" but the situation "cannot be avoided looking at the current level of desperation."

Malawi also put on hold a search for a new head coach. Former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar was among the candidates.