TNM Super League champions Nyasa Big Bullets and their rivals Be Forward Wanderers finally started 2020 season preparations on Monday.
Bullets started their preparations at Sports Complex College of Medicine whereas Wanderers assembled at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
Bullets Assistant Coach, Peter Mponda, said they were concentrating on physical fitness and also assessing if the players followed off-season programme which they were given.
“It’s more about assessing the players. The doctors and our physiotherapist are doing the job. We also gave them off season programme so we want to check who was following it. We want to slowly to get them into football mood,” Mponda said.
Wanderers Head Coach, Bob Mpinganjira, was happy with the condition of players during the first day of the training session.
“We are making sure that all the players are fit. We have also started with playing the ball as we don’t want to take time to be in good shape,” he said.
Meanwhile, capital city sides Civo Service United and Blue Eagles were also expected to start their preparations this week.
Eagles Technical Director, Christopher Sibale, said the acquisition of former striker Mphatso Philimon and midfielder Lazarus Nyemera has boosted the team’s morale.
“We have a good squad so the coming in of Lazarus and Mphatso is good for the team. We expect to have a good season again,” he said.
Eagles lost talented attacker Schumacher Kuwali who joined Mozambique giants UD Songo on a one-year deal. The police outfit has also lost striker Foster Biton who has joined Silver Strikers as a replacement for Khuda Muyaba.
Eagles won the Fisd Challenge Cup after beating Kamuzu Barracks 4-3 on post-match penalties and also won the Bingu Ikhome Bonanza. They finished third in the Super League.
Civo Team Manager, Gabriel Chirwa, recently confirmed that preparations would resume on February 11.
On the part of Silver, they released about 17 players as part of the rebuilding exercise to challenge for the Super League title.
Silver Communications and Marketing Director, David Dauda, said the team will continue preparations this week.
“The players were given days off over the weekend,” he said.
Newly promoted Mafco, Red Lions FC and Ekwendeni have also started preparations.
The 2020 soccer season will begin on March 14 with the Ecobank Charity Shield with Bullets, Wanderers, Silver and Eagles battling for pre-season honour.
But before the charity shield, Bullets and Wanderers will take part in Nyasa International Bonanza to run from February 29 to March 1.
Mozambique side UD Songo and Zimbabwe’s Premier Soccer League side Chicken Inn will take part.
