FCB Nyasa Bullets have thrown their weight behind coach Peter ‘Mjojo’ Mponda and his backroom staff despite criticism from some quarters after suffering three successive defeats to their arch-rivals Mighty Wanderershis season.
The People’s Team lost 1-0 to the Nomads in the latest Blantyre derby in an FDH Bank semi-final at Kamuzu Stadium on Sunday. The defeat came a week after Bullets also lost 3-0 in a TNM Super League encounter at the same venue.
In May this year, the Nomads also edged Bullets 1-0 in the first-round of the league.
But in an interview with Zodiak Btoadcasting Station, Bullets acting chief executive officer Albert Chigoga said there are no plans to fire Mponda and his backroom staff.
He said: “As we usually do, we will meet our coaches to review the current situation and see how best we can move forward.
“There is nothing like their jobs being on the line. The players and the coaches have our full support.”
Chigoga said even if the team had concerns on the performance of the team, “we wouldn’t take them to the public”.
He said the coaches are already under pressure after recent results and the club needs to support them and find solutions to the challenges. That’s how we ought to move forward.
“Otherwise, finger-pointing will not help us,” said Chigoga.
“That is the best way of dealing with such situations and not being swayed by emotions.”
Mponda, in an interview on Monday, said he understood the supporters’ frustration “because we did not give them what they expected”.
However, the coach said considering the team’s performance on Sunday, the result was painful.
He said: “We dominated, we did everything, but we didn’t utilise the opportunities we created. That’s what happens when you don’t take your chances.
“We will go back and analyse where we are getting it wrong.”
Football analyst Parry Chinyama said while a section of the team’s supporters might not be justified to blame the coach, he is responsible for the results.
“So, to some extent, the fans’ anger is understandable,” he said.
Under Mponda’s tutelage, Bullets have won the Airtel Top 8 and are currently second to Wanderers in the TNM Super League with 49 points from 21 matches, two points behind their rivals.
