Mighty Mukuru Wanderers are keeping their fingers crossed after the team’s major financier and philanthropist Thom Mpinganjira revealed that he was reviewing his options as the contract draws to an end.
The development comes after Wanderers finished the 2023 season without a trophy despite enjoying support from Mpinganjira.
In an interview Sunday, Mpinganjira said he did not expect to spend much on football which, he claims, has ‘Lords’ who influence results.
“I never envisaged spending so much money in the first place. I am currently reviewing my options following the events of the season. There are serious administrative shortfalls in football administration in Malawi.
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“A few powerful football Lords, sometimes heavily aligned to some clubs or against some clubs, horrible officiation, always last minute penalties or strangely disallowing goals. So, I am reviewing my options for now,” he said.
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Mpinganjira, through Ekhaya Farms Foods Limited, pumps in K410 million whereas Mukuru’s package is at K175 million annually.
In June last year, the businessman told The Nation newspaper that he would rather invest his money somewhere else than in a club that is failing to deliver.
This was after Wanderers suffered a 1-0 shock loss to bottom-placed Extreme FC.
In a recent interview, Mpinganjira admitted that it was not easy to turn Wanderers into a commercial entity to be a self-reliant side.
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“Efforts are being made. Hopefully we will see them come to fruition. But the environment is militating against this. This is why you have seen FCB joining Nyasa [Manufacturing Company] to beef up sponsorship because commercialisation efforts are not that easy to achieve so far,” he said.
The entrepreneur expressed revelations oveer Malawi’s football administration.
“My views are very clear on this. Football in Malawi will not go very far. Worse when our teams go outside because most of our football is not decided on the football pitch. I will stop there,” he said.
Both Wanderers Chief Executive Officer Roosevelt Mpinganjira and Board Secretary and Legal Adviser Chancy Gondwe did not pick our calls.
However, former Wanderers midfielder Sherry Msuku concurred with Mpinganjira.
“As a major sponsor, he is supposed to review what was agreed in the contract before making any commitment. On the part of administration, I also agree that there is room for improvement.
“On officiation, we have to understand that there is a thin line between biasness and incompetence. Besides that, referees, as humans, can make mistakes. On the other hand, teams, indeed, need multiple sources of income,” the former Flames player said.
Wanderers finished on third position in the 2023 TNM Super League with 55 points from 30 matches, having won 15, drawn 10 and lost five times.
The Nomads were booted out of the FDH Bank Cup by Mafco after losing 1-0 and they failed to defend the Airtel Top 8 Cup following controversy that marred their quarterfinal clash against Silver Strikers.
Wanderers were also knocked out of the Castel Cup by bitter rivals Bullets.
