Coaching panel reshuffle looms at Wanderers

Some high-profile foreign and local coaches have been linked with Mighty Mukuru Wanderers as a coaching panel reshuffle looms at the Lali Lubani Road outfit. The team’ s Eddington Ng’ onamo-led panel has been under fire from some fans due to inconsistent performances in the first round of the TNM Super League. The team’ s inconsistency has not gone down well with…

Some high-profile foreign and local coaches have been linked with Mighty Mukuru Wanderers as a coaching panel reshuffle looms at the Lali Lubani Road outfit.

The team’s Eddington Ng’onamo-led panel has been under fire from some fans due to inconsistent performances in the first round of the TNM Super League.

Currently, three coaches have been heavily linked with the hot seat at Wanderers, who continue to hunt for silverware which has eluded them since 2019, when they beat Silver Strikers 3-2 in the final of the defunct Fisd Challenge Cup.

The three are former Zambian striker Gift Kampamba, Burundian Nsanzurwimo Ramadhan and former Mzuzu Warriors coach Alex Ngwira.

Wanderers spokesperson Ernest Maganga could neither confirm nor deny the impending reshuffle.

”The committee responsible for football is expected to meet on Friday [today] to review the performance of the coaches. It will be up to it to decide if there is a need to beef up the coaching panel or maintain the current one,’’ Maganga said.

But Maganga admitted that Wanderers showed interest in Kampamba and Ramadhan at some point, with nothing concrete being agreed upon.

The Nomads boast of one of the best squads in domestic football, which has failed to live up to expectations, having gone two consecutive seasons without a trophy.

The team’s inconsistency has not gone down well with some of its supporters who demanded the coaches’ blood after two consecutive draws against Mafco (1-1) and Civil Service United (0-0) towards the end of the first round.

Wanderers Commercialisation Committee Chairperson Clement Stambuli claimed that that the club had attracted the interest of coaches from Zimbabwe, Zambia and Australia.

However, Stambuli said they still had faith in the current panel.

“We have no plans to beef up the coaching staff at the moment. But we cannot stop other people from showing interest in coaching the club. We are a big brand,’’ he said.

Kampamba played for Zambia from 1998 to 2005 and served as assistant coach for Nkana FC in 2017 while Ramadhan has vast experience in domestic football, having coached Nyasa Big Bullets and the Malawi National Football Team.

Contacted to comment on the Nomads’ interest Thursday, Ngwira said he was not aware of any development.

”I do not know anything about this. I am at my home in Mzuzu right now and there is nothing that I know about going to Wanderers,’’ the Caf A coaching licence holder said.

This is not the first time for Ngwira to be linked with a move to the Nomads as he was on the verge of joining at the start of the season but the move fell through.

Ngwira was reportedly spotted watching Wanderers’ match against Kamuzu Barracks during the opening of Champions Ground in Mponela, Dowa District, on Sunday.

Wanderers Assistant Coach Joseph Kamwendo declined to comment on the matter.

”These are management issues which I cannot comment on. My focus is on helping the team do well,’’ Kamwendo said.

Nomads legendary striker Albert Mpinganjira is also on the coaching panel as an assistant coach.

The Nomads are currently on position three in the league with 28 points, 13 points behind bitter rivals Nyasa Big Bullets.