All eyes will this afternoon be on Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe as FCB Nyasa Bullets and Silver Strikers clash in a high-stakes Airtel Top 8 final in a showdown that not only pits Malawi’s football powerhouses against each other, but also features a tactical duel between two coaches who share both a name and a history.
At the centre of this battlefield stands an uncanny twist of fate as two coaches with the same name, once comrades on the same tactical bench, now stand on opposite lines, ready to outwit one another in a duel that could redefine their legacies.
For Bullets coach Peter Mponda, it’s more than a final. It’s a proving ground.
Having crossed the river to the red and white side at the start of the season, the former Flames skipper carries the weight of expectation.
The crown he chases is not just a trophy, but a torch passed from his mentor Kallisto Pasuwa, who won the cup three times.
The pressure on Mponda is undeniable. Tasked with continuing Bullets’ recent dominance in this competition, the former Bullets captain knows only victory will appease expectant supporters.
In a pre-match interview Mponda sounded confident.
“He said: “Just being in the final is a big motivation. The guys have worked so hard to reach this stage. I don’t think they can work so hard just to throw it away in the final. They are very ready for the final.”
Despite Bullets’ dominance over Silver in previous editions, including triumphs in the 2021 and 2024 finals and a league win at the same venue earlier this season, Mponda has attempted to shift the spotlight onto his opponents.
He said: “The advantage is on their side. They have a very good team. They have the entire squad they had last season, its only Chimwemwe Idana who has left. Whereas we are missing a lot of players, may be 10 or 11. We are still building a team. We are not where we want to be.”
Mponda said Bullets aim to wrap up the match in regulation time, avoiding the unpredictability of penalties.
He said: “It’s our wish to finish the game in 90 minutes. Penalties are like lottery. They are unpredictable. So we need to balance between attacking and defence.
“We don’t want to sit back and defend and wait in counter attack. At the same time we don’t want to throw all players forward and always attack and risk getting caught on the break. As coaches we know what we want.”
Across the trench, Peter Mgangira, once an assistant to Mponda, now the main architect of Silver’s dreams, will be hoping to author a revolution after years of playing second fiddle to Bullets in the Airtel Top 8 finals.
He said: “The players are looking good. The mood is good. It’s not going to be easy, but that doesn’t mean its impossible. I can feel the mood of the players.
“They are very ready. They know that last season we had a chance of winning the Airtel Top 8, but we didn’t This is another opportunity for us to win.
“If we look at the records we indeed have not been doing well against Bullets.
“But if we are going to be dwelling at records, then it is the same as not playing at all.
“We have a game in front of us that can change the records. So, we are not going to dwell much on the past results. We are going to give it all so that we don’t miss it like we did in 2021 and 2024.”
While Bullets have a full squad, Silver will be without a number of players, including defender Precious Sambani, holding midfielder Chikondi Kamanga and their tramp card Festus Duwe.
But Mgangira said he is not losing sleep over this.
“We signed 30 players, who are equally good. We have enough players that can win us the cup final. We are confident that the players that we have can do the job,” he said.
Silver last beat Bullets in the FCB Bank 30 Years Cup two weeks ago, albeit with both sides fielding second-string teams. For Mgangira, today’s match is a different beast.
He said: “This is a totally different game, but we can always have confidence that if we did it last time, why can’t we do it again?”
A confident Silver captain Maxwell Paipi said it was now pay-back time for Bullets.
He said: “We have never beaten Bullets in Airtel Top 8. We cannot be losing to Bullets all the time.
“This is the time to change history. I know people think we cannot do it due to past results. But as players, we are all ready.”
His counterpart Lloyd Aaron said a loss to Civil Service United in the league will not affect them.
He said: “As players, morale is high. The loss to Civil won’t affect us.
“This is a different competition. It’s a final and we are focused on defending this cup and taking it back to Blantyre.
“We have worked hard to reach this stage. Just playing in the final is enough motivation. We are one win away from the trophy. This is a must-win game.”
Both teams had to overcome stern tests en route to today’s finale.
Bullets defeated Creck Sporting in the quarter-finals before edging out Karonga United in the semi-finals. Silver, meanwhile, overcame Moyale Barracks before dispatching city rivals Civil Service United to book their spot in the final.
With tactics, emotions and history all at play, this promises to be a final for the ages, a true battle of ambition between two men named Peter.
