FCB Nyasa Bullets head coach Peter Mponda has criticised a section of the club’s supporters for trying to dictate which players should be included in his match-day squad.
Speaking to journalists ahead of Sunday’s FDH Bank Cup semi-final against archrivals Mighty Wanderers, he defended his team selection, stressing that his choices are based on players’ performance during training.
“I am the one who spends more time with the players. We spend maybe four or five hours a day with the players. We train
them. We know who is performing and who is not performing. So, in terms of selection, it all relies on me,” he said.
The former Flames captain, who is yet to win a Blantyre debry after losing 3-0 on Sunday at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre, also urged fans to stop attacking players after defeats, saying criticism only demoralises the team.
However, Mponda, took full responsibility for the team’s 3-0 loss to Wanderers, saying the technical panel has already analysed what went wrong.
“Before that game, I said we were ready. We looked good at training and the team was improving.
“But on the match-day, it was totally different. We’ve talked and seen where we fell short. This time around, we need to make our supporters happy,” he said.
On Sunday, Bullets’ rivals Mighty Mukuru Wanderers outclassed them in all departments, to complete a league double over their Blantyre rivals having also won the first round 1-0.
After the match, some angry Bullets supporters gathered at the dressing-room exit, chanting songs against Mponda and questioning his team selection.
The fans accused him of side-lining some key players who have been influential in past derbies.
Musician Born Chriss, a staunch Bullets fan, in an open letter posted on Facebook, urged Mponda to “pull up his socks”.
He said: “You are a good coach, but you risk losing your reputation. You have never won a Blantyre derby because of poor team selection.
“For example, in the derby you left key players such as Babatunde Adepoju, Peter Banda, Mike Mkwate and Yamikani Mologeni on the bench.”
However, in response, another supporter, Jidy Kapito, came to Mponda’s defence, saying coaches cannot be perfect in every game.
“As a coach, Mponda had his game plan; it didn’t work. That’s football. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Let’s see how he responds in the next match,” he said.
