Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera has rewarded the national women’s football team for winning the 2023 Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Women’s Championship.

Chakwera hosted the team at a luncheon at his presidential residence, Kamuzu Palace, in Lilongwe, where he rewarded every player and every official who participated in the tournament with 1,700 U.S. dollars.

He also rewarded the players and officials with a plot of land each in the country’s capital for their housing.

Malawi made history when they beat Zambia 2-1 in the final at Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa on Sunday.

Chakwera said the Scorchers’ win was not by chance but followed hard-working spirit and unity in the players and their officials.

Captain Temwa Chawinga, who plays for the Chinese Women’s Super League team, Wuhan Jianghan University FC, was named player of the tournament and also won the Golden Boot award with nine goals.

“Since I play professional football outside the country, I’m better off because I get something. But my friends here just play for passion and get nothing. So I’m happy that the president has considered them,” Chawinga said.

Meanwhile, Algeria’s football federation announced on Wednesday that it was suspending all football competitions and matches “in solidarity with the Palestinian people” during the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The governing body had previously agreed to host the Palestine national team’s forthcoming football matches following a request from the Palestinian FA.

Algeria international Riyad Mahrez, who won the Premier League title five times before joining Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli from Manchester City in July, shared a photo on social media of himself holding the Palestinian flag on the pitch after his country’s 5-1 home friendly win over Cape Verde last Thursday.

Teammates Said Benrahma, of West Ham United, and Ahmed Touba, of Istanbul Basaksehir, joined Mahrez to hold the flag in a picture he captioned: “We want peace.”

Mahrez and Algeria shared a 1-1 draw in Abu Dhabi on Monday with Egypt, whose captain, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, called on “world leaders to come together to prevent further slaughter of innocent souls” on Tuesday.