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Soccer-Mtawali named as new Malawi coach

BLANTYRE, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Ernest Mtawali, once banned by his country for breaking sporting sanctions, has been appointed as coach of Malawi on a one-year renewable contract, the Football Association of Malawi announced. The former midfielder was banned for life for leaving Malawi in 1984 to play in the league in apartheid-era South Africa, which was then excluded from international sport. Mtawali later sought to circumvent the ban by playing in Italy under a false name, competing in Serie C before the ruse was uncovered. He returned to South Africa to complete his playing career, including rehabilitation to Malawi's national team after the end of South African sporting isolation in 1992. Mtawali has since coached Malawi's junior teams and now been promoted to take charge of the senior side in the wake of the sacking of Young Chimodzi, after the Malawians were beaten at home by Zimbabwe in June in their opening qualifiers for the 2017 African Nations Cup finals. Malawi's next international is away at Swaziland in the Nations Cup qualifiers next month after which they play neighbours Tanzania over two legs in October as they begin their bid to qualify for the next World Cup in Russia in 2018. (Reporting by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly; mark.gleeson@thomsonreuters.com +27828257807 Messaging mark.gleeson.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)