Thom Mpinganjira bankrolls Nomads

Mighty Wanderers FC president Thom Mpinganjira continues to bankroll the Nomads and has so far pumped in about K112 million despite being behind bars, in a display of his passion for the club.

Weekend Nation has established that the business tycoon and philanthropist, who was on October 5 convicted of attempting to bribe judges during the presidential election nullification case, has been responsible for the club’s monthly  K6.3 million wage bill for the past 10 months (including October), translating to K63 million.

He has also contributed towards the team’s operational costs amounting to K12 million and on Thursday, Mpinganjira also paid about K3.7 million to Blantyre City Council to settle the Nomads’ outstanding property rates for their clubhouse which was sealed early in the week.

Wanderers board secretary Humphrey Mvula confirmed the development when he was asked in an interview, if it was true that the club president had settled property rates from his pocket.

He said: “Look, it is not only the outstanding property rates  that Dr. Mpinganjira has cleared. Our monthly wage bill is K12.6 million, but due to Covid-19, it was cut to K6.3 million and he has been providing the same since January.

“He also contributes towards operational costs and so far he has pumped in about K12 million.  Among others, he has been regularly paying players’ training allowances, which are pegged at K400 000 a week, recurring incident costs and training allowances for our youth and reserve sides.

“The team recently travelled to Karonga, Lilongwe and Mzuzu and he footed the costs. That is how passionate he is about the team.”

On the city rates, Mvula said they dated back to 2012.

He said: “Dr. Mpinganjira authorised the clearance of the dues using part of the contributions he had planned to clear some outstanding game bonuses for the players.

“This is not withstanding the fact that he has single-handedly paid salaries for players and technical staff from January to October this year and on behalf of the board, I thank him for the great act of benevolence to the team.

“We trust that other great supporters of Wanderers will step up to the plate to help their team.”

Nomads captain Alfred Manyozo Jnr and supporters committee chairperson Mervin Nkunika yesterday said they are indebted to Mpinganjira.

Said Manyozo: “We are grateful to him for all that he has done for the team.

“After his conviction, he would have chosen to stop assisting the team, but he is still there for us.

“He is always in our thoughts and we pray for him everyday. He is our source of inspiration and as players, we vowed to end our winless run in the [TNM] Super League matches against [Nyasa Big] Bullets because he sent a message to say he wanted us to win that game.”

On his part, Nkunika said: “He is a true supporter of the team and he has demonstrated his passion for the club which we do not take for granted.

“Here is a man who is in jail, but he is doing much more than some of us who are out here. If it were someone else, he would have probably forgotten about the team to reflect on his future, but he is still there for the team and others can draw a leaf from him on what it means to be a supporter.”

He said when they visit him in prison, he has been offering them advice on how they should be operating.

The club’s former captain Joseph Kamwendo said the club needs people of Mpinganjira’s calibre to achieve its goal of becoming a fully-fledged commercial entity.

“Wanderers is followed by highly respected people in the society who can also ably contribute towards the team. That said, I think the president needs to be commended for what he is doing for the club under the circumstances he finds himself in,” he said.

Football analyst George Kaudza Masina said Mpinganjira demonstrates that he has been a nomad through and through “and with the philanthropist in him, no wonder, all the support he is rendering to the club”.

He said:  “What is coming out clearly is that Mpinganjira has unquestionable love for football, and Wanderers in particular.

“However, much as Wanderers is assured of financial support from their club president, going forward, financial fatigue might catch up with him and Lali Lubani has to start thinking of an exit strategy lest they get caught unawares when the well of wealth dries up or circumstances can not allow for his continued bankrolling of the club.”

Masina said considering that Wanderers is now registered  as a company,  overreliance on an individual does not make  business sense.

“Going forward, pumping in seed money will be the best way for sustainability as it will also lessen the burden of monthly handouts which cannot be forever.

“Otherwise, let us commend the Mpinganjira’s generosity to keep Wanderers afloat in these trying times as a true meaning of sportsmanship. It will take ages for the Nomads family to come to terms with this predicament.”

The Nomads are currently sponsored by Salima Sugar Company Limited to the tune of K60 million, which is nearly half of what Mpinganjira has already pumped into the team this season.

Mpinganjira was appointed president of Wanderers in July this year and doubles as chairperson of a 24-member board.