Blantyre United feel pinch of players’ exodus
Blantyre United have admitted that the exodus of over 10 key players is the main reason for their poor performance in the TNM Super League for the past two seasons.
The team, which finished third in the TNM Super League season, now anchors the 15-team log-table with 10 points from 14 games after the first-round.
Its administrator Lawson Nakoma said the pain that the outfit is experiencing due to the absence of their founding players has proved to be worse than a scorpion’s sting.
For the past two seasons, the team has lost founding players such as Jimmy Chikulekule and SundayKamuyang’ana (in Mozambique), Mussa Manyenje, Tizgobere Kumwenda, Victor Limbani and Dalitso Sailesi (Big Bullets), Sparrow Msowoya and Abraham Kamwendo (Mighty Wanderers), Thoko Stambuli (Silver), Pempho Chibweya (Kamuzu Barracks) and Nenani Juwawo (Azam Tigers) .
“The absence of these players is really affecting our performance because our style of play has been diluted,” explained the administrator, who doubles as the outfit’s technical director.
But now the performance of the Alex Masanjala-coached side is at its lowest ebb in the league where they suffer defeats even to rookies such as Chikwawa United.
It is for this reason that the side has fast-tracked on finding solutions to their woes by recalling Abraham Kamwendo from Mighty Wanderers, where he is on a year-long loan.
The team is also keeping fingers crossed to have Tizgobere Kumwenda and Victor Limbani back from Bullets if the ‘People’s Team’ fail to complete paying transfer fees for the two.
“We have made up our mind to register Kamwendo for the next round because Wanderers missed the deadline (last Friday) to pay for his K2 million transfer fees. Even before that, he was still in our plans.
“For Bullets, they came and pleaded with us on the deadline for Kumwenda and Limbani. Bullets paid almost 80 percent of the K1.5 million loan fees, but they will still risk losing the players if they do not complete paying the sum by the extended deadline. We desperately need these experienced players in our squad,” he said.
Nakoma added that they have also signed their founding coach Leo Mpulula to be part of the technical panel from the start of the next round, despite the ex-Azam Tigers coach not being in the best of his health.
On his part, Kamwendo, who has not played competitive game for the entire Super League’s first-round, said he is ready to serve his club Blantyre United if the Nomads have failed to honour his transfer fees.
“All I need is to feature in the Super League this season. I will accept whatever my superiors will advise me in line with the transfer discussions between the two clubs,” said the 17-year-old midfielder.
