Bullets, Silver set for K50mIbongetse showdown
FCB Nyasa Bullets and Silver Strikers will be out to make history when they clash this afternoon in the inaugural K320 million Ibongetse Castel Challenge Cup final at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe this afternoon.
The two giants are on contrasting pursuits. The People’s Team are chasing a treble, having already bagged the TNM Super League and the FDH Bank Cup, while the Central Bankers are out to end their two-year silverware drought.
Bullets also have a chance of winning a quadruple as they have reached the Airtel Top 8 final.
However, their coach Kallisto Pasuwa said while it would be “amazing” to win a quadruple, it is about taking a step at a time.
He said: “Any team that takes off very well will carry the day. We are prepared.
“We rested our boys on Monday and resumed training on Tuesday. We have been telling the boys that we have set a precedence where we need to beat each team to be where we are.
“This is a big game as Silver are a good side and have been playing good football. So, if we are not careful, they can carry the day.”
Bullets could be without some key players, namely, Alick Lungu, Precious Sambani, Rabson Chiyenda and Kesten Simbi who are nursing injuries.
But such is their delight that they have enough armoury for the battle in the likes of wonder kid Patrick Mwaungulu, Hassan Kajoke, Lanjesii Nkhoma, Stanley Billiat and Frank Willard.
On the other hand, de Jongh said his charges have put aside their Airtel Top 8 semi-final disappointment on Boxing Day when they lost on post-match penalties to Mafco FC.
He said: “We can’t keep on crying over spilt milk. After all, penalties are like lottery and they can go either way. We are not children, we are adults and we have to move on. Let the past be the past.
“As a coach I always look to the future, we need to be focused and try as much as we can to win the game.
“Our preparations have been okay and being our last game of the season and indeed the year, we need to finish on a high.”
As at press time yesterday, all Silver players were available for selection.
Midfield dynamo Chimwemwe Idana carries the Area 47-based side’s expectations. Strikers Patrick Macheso and George Chaomba, captain Chikondi Kamanga, Tendai M’balaka, Duncan Nyoni, Uchizi Vunga, Innocent Shema and veteran Atusaye Nyondo are also potential match winners.
To qualify for the final, Bullets beat arch-rivals Mighty Mukuru Wanderers 4-2 on post-match penalties after the game ended one-all in regulation time while the Reserve Bank of Malawi-sponsored side beat Bangwe All Stars 0-2.
At stake is K50 million winners’ purse and K25 million as consolation for the losing side.
Semi-finalists will receive K10 million each while quarter-finalists will get K5 million each.
In the TNM Super League, the matches ended in draws.
Meanwhile, Castel Malawi head of corporate marketing and communication Lavern Chitakata has said they have organised a music festival tomorrow to mark a stylish end to the 2023 season.
“The season will not end at the final whistle inside the Bingu National Stadium, but on the New Year’s Eve through the Castel Music Festival. The festival will be a celebration of a successful season of the Ibongetse Challenge Cup,” she said.
