Mighty Wanderers president and board chairperson Thomson Mpinganjira has set targets for the club which include winning the TNM Super League title, FDH Bank Cup and defending the Castel Cup.
The business mogul and philanthropist, who bankrolls the Nomads, said in an interview yesterday that he also expects the team to go past the preliminary stage of the 2025/26 CAF Confederation Cup.
He said this barely a day after meeting the players at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Thursday in a surprise visit ahead of the Super League second round which kicks off today.
Ndovi (L) and team manager Stevie Madeiras. | Courtesy of wanderers
“These are minimum targets,” he said.
On what will happen should the club fail to meet the set targets, Mpinganjira drew a long breath, smiled and said: “That is a matter of internal discussion and not for public consumption at this stage.”
He could also not be drawn to comment on the issues he discussed with the players, whom he met for over an hour.
Said Mpinganjira: “I went there to meet and greet the players..to listen to them.
“I met them alone without any officials from the club and we had a great interaction.”
But a source confided in Weekend Nation that the Nomads boss asked the players top open up if they had grievances.
Said the source: “One of the issues the players raised was that they get their travel allowances late.
“They also requested that game allowances for the CAF tournament should not be the same as they get in domestic competitions.”
A statement from the club says Mpinganjira’s visit was meant to motivate the players ahead of the final round of the league as well as the Confederation Cup campaign.
The Nomads finished the first round at the summit of the table with 35 points after winning 10 and drawing five. They remain the only side yet to taste defeat.
But they were booted out of the Airtel Top 8 quarter-finals 2-1 on aggregate by Karonga United after winning the first leg 1-0 at home before going down 2-0 in the reverse fixture.
In the CAF tournament, the Lali Lubani outfit will face Botswana side Jwaneng Galaxy FC in the preliminary round next month.
Wanderers coach Bob Mpinganjira said preparations are at an advanced stage and they are ready for their first CAF Confederations Cup assignment in eight years.
Galaxy reached the group stages of the 2023/24 CAF Champions league and are ranked 39th in the CAF club rankings but Mpinganjira said the Nomads are not intimidated.
“We hold a deep respect for our opponents, Jwaneng Galaxy FC, as they are a disciplined and physically strong team with a well-structured tactical setup. We know they will pose a significant challenge,” he said.
