Nomads still bank on Mpinganjira
With just over a week before the 2022 season kicks off, Mighty Wanderers FC supporters still believe, in cold comfort, that the club’s former president and board chairperson Thomson Mpinganjira will respond positively to their request to take over the team.
While the club has resumed training, there is still a cloud of uncertainty over its future as except for board secretary Humphrey Mvula, the other members have not been active since the business magnate and philanthropist’s resignation over two months ago.
The club’s supporters committee interim chairperson Dinesi Chitsulo said in an interview on Saturday that they are banking on Mpinganjira.
He said: “To be honest, all our hopes are on bwana Mpinganjira. We remain optimistic that he will respond to our request favourably, otherwise things don’t look good at all.
“The board is inactive and the only person running the show now is Mr. Mvula whom we have been working with.
“We are worried because the season will be starting soon and the mood in camp is not inspiring. There are a number of things that require urgent attention and time is running out.”
On whether efforts have been made to follow up with Mpinganjira, Chitsulo said: “We felt the first step was to engage members of the board to get their views on the current situation. We did not want to take short-cuts.
“We have managed to reach out to some and there are others that have not been forthcoming.
“From there, we’ll map the way forward.”
He said they are hoping to have a clear direction by end of the week.
“But crucial to all this will be bwana Mpinganjira’s decision and all Wanderers supporters are anxiously waiting to hear from him,” said Chitsulo.
Mpinganjira could not be reached for comment yesterday while Mvula declined to comment.
The club’s board legal adviser
be reached for comment.
Mpinganjira quit as Nomads president and board chairperson on December 5 last year, citing bickering within the board and the team’s poor performance.
On December 16, the supporters committee wrote him a letter to consider taking over the club, but two months down the line, he has not yet responded.
He was the club’s main financier last season, pumping in about K180 million into the team’s operations, including salaries, game bonuses for last and previous season as well as allowances.
The amount is three times the sponsorship the Nomads are getting from Salima Sugar Company Limited.
Mpinganjira continued to assist the team financially even after his conviction for attempting to bribe judges who presided over the 2019 Presidential Election nullification case.
Three weeks after his resignation in December, Mpinganjira also paid part of the team’s salaries for that month
