Nomads miss out on Joseph Kamwendo
Be Forward Wanderers’ hopes of reuniting with Joseph Kamwendo are up in smoke after their former talismanic captain opted for a return to Mozambican giants, Liga Desportiva de Maputo.
Sources indicate that Democratic Republic of Congo side, TP Mazembe, have succumbed to pressure from Kamwendo to release him on loan. He was training with Wanderers while pushing for a move away from Mazembe.
“He is now a Liga player. Of course, there was some fee of which the president hasn’t told me yet,” said the source close to Liga president Rafik Sidat.
Kamwendo confirmed yesterday that Sidat advised him that the transfer was finalised with Mazembe. However, the player was unsure whether it is a permanent transfer.
“I have a good record with Liga. In the first place, the boss did not want me to leave for Mazembe. I still recall what he told me that ‘whenever you feel like coming back, this is your home.’ I am honoured that I have another chance to play for them,” the Flames midfielder explained.
Sidat, who founded the team in 1990, was not available for a comment yesterday. But his Malawian friend, Ibrahim Patel, yesterday confirmed that Kamwendo was likely to rejoin Liga on a loan deal.
Kamwendo claimed that he had options to sign for other clubs, including Wanderers, but his heart was at Liga.
He joined Mazembe in 2013 on a five-year deal, but was starved of first-team football in the star-studded Mazembe side that won 2015 Caf Champions League championship.
“For me, it was not about performance. I will give you an example: when you look at Malawi, Zimbabwe and Zambia, we are at par in many things. But when you mention Ghana and Mali, they have an upper hand. It was the same thing with me at Mazembe,” he claimed.
On Thursday, Wanderers’ general secretary, Mike Butao, admitted that pushing for Kamwendo’s loan transfer was complicated as he also spent the last phase of 2015 season on loan at Don Bosco in Congo.
However, sources suggest that the other challenging part of the transfer was Kamwendo’s demands on perks. Kamwendo joins compatriot, Zicco Mkanda, at Liga.
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