Inter Milan women’s football team has unveiled its new highly rated signing from Malawi, Tabitha Chawinga.
Inter unveiled the leading striker on Thursday after she completed her switch from Wuhan Jiangda FC in the Chinese Women’s Football League.
The Malawi Scorchers captain has signed a one-year loan contract with Inter.
“Here is the new # InterWomen forward, welcome Tabitha #ForzaInter #InterWomen #WelcomeTabitha,” Inter tweeted.
Tabitha told FARPOst in an exclusive interview after her unveiling that she was thrilled to join such a team with a rich profile.
“My target is to help my new team win silverware at the end of the season and also try to finish the season as the top scorer for the league,” she said.
Chiara Marchitelli is the coach for the women’s team, and it appears Chawinga is the only footballer from Africa in the women’s squad for the team.
Inter Milan have signed the Malawian now that Serie A Women’s Football League will go professional starting from this 2022-2023 season.
Tabitha has left behind in China her younger sister Temwa who is also a leading striker for Wuhan Jiangda.
A few seasons ago, Tabitha left another Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning to reunite with Temwa at Jiangda.
Tabitha launched her career at DD Sunshine FC before Temwa followed suit to sign for the Lilongwe-based team.
The 26-year-old eventually moved to the third-tier Swedish league side, Krokom/Dvarsatts IF, in 2014, becoming the first Malawian woman footballer to sign for a European team.
Tabitha scored 39 goals in 14 games despite missing five games as she had not yet turned 18, which is the minimum age for professional footballers.
Now she is set to showcase her skill in Italy, whose women’s football has grown in leaps and bounds.
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Italian football federation president Gabriele Gravina: “This is an important day. Finally, there are rules governing the practice of professionalism in women’s football.”
The Italian women’s Serie A comprises 10 teams including Juventus, Parma, Samprodia, Pomigriano, AS Roma, Sassuolo, Fiorentina, Como and AC Milan.
The Malawian’s star continued to rise in Sweden, where she signed for the then second-tier Kvarnsveden, helping them to earn promotion to the main league called Damallsvenskan after scoring 43 goals.
In the first season in the top-flight, injuries meant that Tabitha’s scoring took a dip as she settled for 15 goals, as Kvarnsveden finished in ninth position in the 2016 season.
The following year, Tabitha bagged 25 goals to attract the attention of big clubs from England and France, but she settled for Jiangsu Suning of the Chinese Women’s League, largely for financial gains in the 2017-18 season.
Before signing for Suning, Tabitha had earned accolades, including Damallsvenskan forward of 2017, even though her team was relegated.
Before leaving Sweden for China, Tabitha recommended Temwa to the same Swedish team.
After a season, Temwa followed her elder sister to China.
