Be Forward Wanderers Reserve Coach, Albert ‘Kika’ Mpinganjira, has said he is unaware of his promotion to the senior side where he was expected to deputise his elder brother, Bob.
The development comes when Wanderers have crashed out of the Airtel Top 8 after losing to rivals Nyasa Big Bullets 1-2 at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Saturday.
Over the weekend, the brothers were in different cities when they were expected to be together, manning the ship which is sailing in troubled waters.
On Saturday, Albert was with Wanderers Reserve at BAT Ground where they defeated Nazikambe 3-2 in a Chitetezo Mbaula Premier Division match while Bob was overseeing Wanderers’ elimination from the cup.
Albert, who was renowned for dribbling skills in his heydays, Monday said he was not informed about his promotion to the senior team.
“I only learnt about this issue from the media. My main task is to build talent that can be promoted to the senior side,” he said.
Similarly, former Nomads midfielder, Sherry Msuku, who was expected to replace Albert at Wanderers Reserve, is still with Wanderers under-20 team which competes in the FMB League.
“I only heard about this issue through the media. I was not served with any letter so I treated it as a rumour,” he said.
Wanderers Chairperson, Gift Mkandawire, Monday said he could not comment on the issue as he was in a meeting whereas General Secretary (GS) Mike Butao could not be reached on his mobile phone.
The teams’ Vice Chairperson, Allan Chuma, said he needed to consult before commenting on the issue.
However, Wanderers Vice General Secretary, Chulu Mkangama, said Wanderers did not promote Albert to deputise his brother. He blamed the social media for propagating the reports.
However, when reminded that the GS was also interviewed on Radio 2 FM and confirmed the development the changes, Mkangama said the absence of official communication was enough proof that the coaches were not promoted to the senior side.
“Albert remains our coach for Wanderers Reserve. We are banking on him to build future Wanderers players,” he said.
Meanwhile, sources indicate that Bob has been given a chance to name his assistant but Mkangama could neither confirm nor deny this issue.
“We are meeting this evening [Monday evening], so I can only say let us cross the bridge when we get there,” he said.
Bob took over as Coach from Yasin Osman who was promoted to Technical Director (TD). The TD post fell vacant following Jack ‘Africa’ Chamangwana’s death last month.
Leave a Reply