Bullets rally behind coach Pasuwa
Fallen giants FCB Nyasa Bullets have thrown their weight behind coach Kallisto Pasuwa, saying he is not to blame for the team’s continued poor showing.
Battered, bruised and barely recognisable as the powerhouse of domestic football, the People’s Team are struggling this season, culminating in a shock 1-0 loss to Bangwe All stars in a TNM Super League match on Thursday.
Bullets lie on an unenviable 10th position with 24 points from 17 matches, 21 points behind leaders, Silver Strikers.
Responding to growing accusations levelled against head coach Pasuwa, who led them to an unprecedented quadruple last season, Bullets acting chief executive officer Albert Chigoga said in an interview yesterday that the coach is not to blame.
He said: “We still have confidence in the coach. He is one of the best coaches the club has had in history.
“May be we need to carry out a mentality check among our playing staff. Otherwise, it is hard to fathom the dip in form.
“We cannot pretend that all is well when the team has only won five out of 17 league matches. We are the defending champions for crying out aloud!”
In a post-match interview on Thursday, Pasuwa said the team’s poor performance is a cause for concern.
The Zimbabwean tactician said: “We need to correct ourselves where we are making mistakes.”
On the chase for the title, which they have won five times on the trot, he conceded that it now looks scary.
“[But] we’ll keep fighting. Remember we still have a number of games to play.
“We have lost three games, which is not good for a team like ours, but again, if we take it for granted by saying we are Bullets, then we will end up losing everything.”
Bullets legend and former coach Kinnah Phiri said the team has terribly lost its way.
He said: “Things don’t look good. They need to conduct some serious soul-searching on what they aren’t doing right because for a team like Bangwe to come and beat Bullets at Kamuzu Stadium, which has been their fortress, shows that they have lost their way.
“The other concern is that they are being inconsistent. They can beat a big team today and lose to a less fancied team in the next game.”
