FCB Nyasa Bullets-bound coach Peter ‘Mjojo’ Mponda says quitting Silver Strikers was the “toughest decision” he has made in his football career.
Opening up in an interview yesterday on how he arrived at the decision, the former Flames and Bullets captain, in a voice straining with emotion, said: “There are times when you find yourself between a rock and a hard place and that’s the unpleasant situation I found myself in.
“I spent hours and days thinking that this is the team that showed trust and confidence in me, especially it’s board and management.
“I would be lying if I say I wasn’t affected psychologically because it did. It wasn’t easy at all and that’s when I realised that some situations can drive you crazy.”
Nevertheless, Mponda said he still had to make a decision.
“In the end I had to make that decision and move on, it’s part of life,” he said.
However, he could not be drawn to comment on whether he has concluded a deal with Bullets.
“Let me not say anything relating to Bullets for now. I’ll make my position in due course,” he said.
However, a well-placed source confided in Weekend Nation that Mponda and Bullets sealed the deal on Christmas Day and is set to replace Zimbabwean tactician Kallisto Pasuwa whose contract expires on December 31 and will not be renewed.
But in an interview yesterday, Bullets acting chief executive officer Albert Chigoga insisted that: “As a club, we still maintain our position that once the decision of the head coach is known, we will make it official.”
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Thursday night, the Bankers confirmed and accepted Mponda’s resignation.
“Mr Mponda has tendered his resignation for personal reasons, a decision we accept and understand,” reads the statement in part.
“This comes four months after Mr. Peter Mponda signed a two-year extension to his contract, demonstrating his commitment and passion for the club.”
It further says during his tenure, his exceptional leadership and expertise propelled the club to remarkable success, culminating in the TNM Super League title triumph.
“As we navigate this transition, the club is working swiftly to identify a suitable replacement to ensure continued success on-and-off the pitch,” the statement further reads.
Commenting on Mponda’s resignation, football analyst Charles Nyirenda said: “At this material time we don’t know yet exactly what transpired to prompt Mponda to turn his back on a contract he only extended soon after securing a league title for Silver Strikers earlier this month.
“Unfortunately there is no official statement on his next destination although I can speculate that a combination of a better offer and maybe a more conducive working environment for him could have triggered his departure.”
The coach’s contract contains a compensation exit clause of $15 000 (about K26.2 million), but the Bankers could not be drawn to comment on whether they will activate it.
Mponda has spent 10 months with the Reserve Bank of Mlawi-sponsored outfit, which he joined in February this year from South African second-tier league side Black Leopards.
Before that, he spent three seasons with Bullets as an assistant coach to Pasuwa, helping the People’ Team to win three league titles, but overall, Pasuwa won five.
Mponda also guided Bullets to the final of the Kagame Cecafa Club Championship in Tanzania in 2021.
