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Nomads boss clears air

Mighty Wanderers 2021 Limited president and board chairperson Dr Thomson Mpinganjira has clarified that Ekhaya Farms Foods Limited, which he owns, does not sponsor Mighty Wanderers FC.

In an interview on Thursday, the business magnate and philanthropist said he personally bankrolls the Nomads.

The Wanderers boss further said he is yet to sign a sponsorship agreement with the Lali Lubani Road outfit for the 2025 season.

“Ekhaya does not sponsor the Wanderers, they are only a kit sponsor. It’s me who sponsors the team and the 2025 sponsorship agreement is yet to be signed,” said Mpinganjira.

Mpinganjira: I sponsor Wanderers. | Courtesy of Sulom

And reacting to the mutual agreement with Mukuru not to renew sponsorship, which included naming rights, he said: “You always get worried when you lose sponsorship no matter how small.”

The club’s chief executive officer Panganeni Ndovi confirmed in a separate interview yesterday that Mpinganjira sponsors the team in his personal capacity “while Ekhaya focuses on kit sponsorship”.

He said: “This needs to be made clear as most people confuse the two.”

On sponsorship, Ndovi said: “We have already engaged all our sponsors, including Dr Mpinganjira, regarding the renewal of their sponsorship for the upcoming season.

“Our expectations are that we will receive a positive response. As you are aware, our likely participation in CAF [Confederation of African Football] competition this year will have a significant impact on our budget, making these partnerships even more critical.”

Mpinganjira’s clarification comes amid reports of a potential conflict of interest following the promotion of Ekhaya United into the TNM Super League.

But football marketing consultant Felix Ngamanya Sapao said under club licensing system, there would be no conflict of interest.

“It’s a matter that sparked a debate on social media recently, but in essence, there is absolutely no issue at all because these are completely different entities,” he said.

“Even in the event that both teams are sponsored by the same company, it does not matter because a company can sponsor even four teams in a league and that happens even in the EPL [English Premier League]. It’s all about marketing.”

Sapao said the crucial issue is ownership.

“And the owners of the two teams, according to the documents filed at the Office of the Registrar, are not the same,” he said.

Since he started sponsoring Wanderers in 2021, Mpinganjira has pumped in about K2 billion.

Apart from the normal sponsorship, among others, he cleared some of the club’s outstanding debts, including players’ dues and paid outstanding city rates for the club house.

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