Wanderers man to coach in Malawi

9:18am Friday 25th May 2007

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THOUSANDS of orphaned children will be taught soccer skills by a Bolton coach - on the plains of Africa.

Abdul Basit, Bolton Wanderers community cohesion officer, will travel to Malawi this weekend to embark on the project.

He will spend two weeks training 10 junior and 10 senior teams.

The scheme is hosted by Friends of Mulanje Orphans (FOMO) - a UK-based charity which provides day care for around 4,000 orphaned children in the African country.

Mr Basit, who has coaching experience with Oldham Athletic and the Football Association, said: "I can't wait to get out there and help the people of Malawi, both in a footballing capacity and with helping to feed and clothe them.

"It will be a life-changing and heart-warming experience."

He will be joined by former England football star, Viv Anderson, who gathered 30 caps for his country in the 1970s and 80s.

The Malawian national team will also pay a visit to the youngsters in between matches.

The action will feature in a programme on the project to be shown on ITV1, on Tuesday, July 10, at 7.30pm.