The mood at Mighty Wanderers remains sombre following the sudden death of the team’s former technical director Yasin Osman.
Osman, who was among the pillars of ‘making Mighty Mighty Again,’ died on Monday April 21 at Blantyre Adventist Hospital and was buried on Tuesday April 22.
Titch or Njinga as Osman was known
Under Malawian tradition, the Nomads would have asked for a postponement of tomorrow’s Airtel Top 8 quarterfinals second leg against Karonga United scheduled for Sunday at Karonga Stadium.
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But in professional football such things do not count and as such Wanderers must honour the fixture while defending their slender lead.
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As a matter of fact, Osman was with the Nomads when they laboured to a 1-0 victory over Crocodiles of Karonga at Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday last week.
Wanderers Chief Executive Officer Panganeni Ndovi said it was a challenging time for the club as the players and most Nomads stakeholders were still coming to terms with the sudden death.
“It is definitely a tough match for us—playing away from home just days after the loss of our technical director has added an emotional weight to the occasion.
“The players are still trying to adjust, but there is a strong sense of unity and purpose in camp. We believe we will rise to the challenge, and we are determined to honour his memory with our performance on the pitch,” Ndovi said.
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Former Wanderers defender Ojukwu Malunga urged the team to win the Airtel Top 8 Cup and TNM Super League championship in Osman’s honour.
“The fact that he was with the team on Saturday during an Airtel Top 8 match is an indication that Osman was dedicated to his job. Wanderers should honour his spirit by winning the Airtel Top 8. The team should also win the league, remember Osman returned in 2017 to help Wanderers reclaim the league after 11 years of waiting,” Malunga said.
During the first leg, Blessings Mwalilino’s second half strike was enough to sink his former side and gave the Nomads the first leg lead.
