Clean slate
Mighty Mukuru Wanderers have paid their players outstanding signing-on fees amounting to K36 million ahead of the new season.
According to a document we have seen, the payment was made last week.
The sheet shows that 19 players have been paid the outstanding dues with the highest getting K4.4 million while the lowest was owed K500 000.
A source confided in Weekend Nation that the club’s president and board chairperson Thomson Mpinganjira, who is also Mighty Wanderers (2021) Limited major shareholder, paid the balances.
But while confirming the development, the Nomads acting chief executive officer Roosevelt Mpinganjira could not comment on whether they were paid by the club president.
Said the acting CEO: “I can confirm that we have paid the signing-on fee balances, but there were a few players who are claiming that they did not get their dues in full.
“So, we are reconciling that.”
Meanwhile, the Lali Lubani Road outfit has promoted seven players from their reserve side ahead of the 2024 season on recommendation from the team’s coach Bob Mpingasnjira and they are looking at beefing up their squad with only three players from other teams.
The seven promoted players are central defender Samson Banda, right-back Chembezi Chihoma, central midfielders Felix Kamenya and Daniel Kudonto, wingers Wallace Adam, Chifuniro Chimenya and striker Mayamiko Makasu.
He said: “We already signed [midfielder] Blessings Singini [from Ekwendeni Hammers] and we are targeting two more, including Dedza Dynamos forward Clement Nyondo, but we are looking at reverting to our old tradition of grooming players from the reserve side.”
Mpinganjira said they have already written Dynamos expressing their interest to get the 2023 TNM Super League golden boot winner on board.
On the promoted players, Bob said the youngsters have proved that they are ready for the big stage.
He said: “We have recommended these boys after impressing in the just-ended season. They are talented, consistent and they have the fighting spirit.
“We believe they have what it takes to perform on a bigger stage, but it will all depend on how the incoming coach will assess and use them.”
The Nomads legend said some will be drafted to the senior team as semi-seniors.
“We do not want to throw them into the deep end, it will be a gradual process until they are polished,” he said.
The coach further said it will be good for the club to revert to their old tradition “because players develop with the club’s passion culture and culture unlike some of the players who come from elsewhere who do not look concerned when they lose”.
Bob is one of the big-name former players who went through the team’s development system before being promoted to the senior team.
Others include Jack ‘Africa’ Chamangwana, Alaudin and Yasin ‘Titch’ Osman, Kannock ‘Bruno’ Munde, William and Kennedy Green Malunga, Frank ‘Burruchaga’ Mtawali, Robert ‘Khakhi’ Phiri, Ricky ‘Mabomba’ Phuka, Fanello Munthali, Gerald Phiri, Dave Mwandidya, Mike Mwesi, George and James Sangala and Aubrey Vinkhumbo.
The promotion of the seven players from the reserve side comes after the team won the Nyasa Capital Finance Cup for the South and the Champions Cup.
The club’s president said the reserve side’s double triumph brutally exposed their seniors’ ineffectiveness.
He said: “These youngsters are not even on salary. I give them game bonuses for each win. Our over-pampered senior team players must learn from these boys.”
