Kamuzu Stadium joggers angry with Wanderers
Some people who conduct physical exercises at Kamuzu Stadium have expressed concern over Be Forward Wanderers’ alleged tendency of denying them access to the facility whenever the Nomads have a match at the venue.
The people’s annoyance came to a boil on Wednesday morning when they came to Nation Publications Limited (NPL) offices after bouncers prevented them from entering the stadium ahead of the Nomads’ Presidential Cup quarter-final match against MTV Max Bullets later in the afternoon, which Wanderers eventually won 2-1.
They claimed that upon their arrival for their routine exercises around 7am, alleged Wanderers bouncers prevented them from getting into the facility in fear that the joggers might apply juju (charms) on the pitch, which might cast a spell on the team to lose the match.
“They told us that they could not let us in unless they were absolutely sure we could not tamper with the pitch. But even after assuring them that we could only go straight to the terraces to jog and do some of our routine exercises, they barred us saying some of us have been sent by their opponents to apply charms on the pitch,” said one of the joggers Eric Kandulu.
“However, we wonder why this only happens with Wanderers and not the other teams. Superstitions do not work in modern football and they should learn to stop living in the past, I am a Wanderers fan myself..”
He claimed that even after an attempt by one of the bouncers to call a Nomads top official, they were still denied access into the stadium.
Nevertheless, Wanderers team manager Steve Madeira expressed ignorance on the matter and referred Weekend Nation to the club’s supporters’ committee chairperson Yamikani Kaliyapa, who could not be reached as we went to press.
“I do not know if such things happen prior to our games at Kamuzu Stadium. It is only individuals that come to the stadium at least three hours before our matches kick off that are denied access to the facility because, sometimes, they use that as a scapegoat to avoid paying at the gates,” Madeira said. n
