Big Bullets for bigger international tourney
By Mphatso Sam, Mana:
Nyasa Big Bullets have unveiled plans to expand the Nyasa Big Four Bonanza to six teams.
Bullets organised the international competition last weekend at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre with Mozambique’s Ferroviario de Nampula and Chicken Inn of Zimbabwe joining the People’s Team and Be Forward Wanderers in the two-day showpiece.
Ferroviario emerged victorious after collecting five points from three games, followed by Wanderers on the same points but with fewer goals scored.
Bullets came third with four points while Chicken Inn anchored the four-team table after collecting two points.
The TNM Super League champions have said the tournament would be an annual pre-season event for the next five years featuring both foreign and local teams.
Bullets Senior Business Development Manager, Kelvin Moyo, said increasing the number of teams in the bonanza is part of their plans to set up their own competition.
Moyo said the number of teams in the bonanza could be increased from four to six in the next three years.
“There is no club competition in the southern part of the continent. In East Africa, they have the Cecafa Club championship sponsored by President Paul Kagame of Rwanda. We want to have the same type of competition here in southern Africa,” he said.
Moyo said next year’s tournament will feature the same teams with the possibility of inviting other teams depending on commercial aspects.
He said as organisers of the event, Bullets are satisfied with the inaugural edition of the tournament which is considered as an investment.
“Since this will be an annual tournament, we will set up a committee to look at how to manage challenges encountered in organizing the inaugural competition. The committee will also consider ways of improving the next editions of the tournament,” Moyo said.
Wanderers Chairperson, Gift Mkandawire, said the Lali Lubani outfit was equally satisfied with the organisation of the tournament.
“The bonanza came at the right time as we are preparing for the new season. It helped us to try our new players and see how best to use them. We were not necessarily after the results but fine-tuning for the 2019 season,” Mkandawire said.
Bullets pumped K50 million into organizing the competition which kicked off on Friday and ended on Monday to give soccer lovers a rare off-season treat.
A vibrant writer who gives a great insight on hot topics and issues
