Nomads talking to Be Forward
With about a week to go before Japanese second-hand car dealer Be Forward severs ties with Mighty Wanderers, the Lali Lubani Road outfit is making efforts to renegotiate the deal.
An influential official at Wanderers, who is part of a special committee established for the cause and pleaded for anonymity, confided in The Daily Times that the talks were ongoing.
“We have been talking for some time now. We want the sponsor to extend the contract. For now, a three-month extension is almost done and if Covid-19 pandemic cases continue to drop in Japan, chances are high that Be Forward might continue.
“All in all, chances are high that Be Forward will continue sponsoring Wanderers. Talks have now reached an advanced stage. We have also talked about finding co-sponsors who will be helping the club with game bonuses, fuel and accommodation. These are some of the areas that require a lot of money,” the source said.
Wanderers General Secretary Victor Maunde confirmed that the two parties were talking but declined to give more details.
In a desperate attempt to woo back their sponsor, the Nomads set up the committee whose head is the club’s chairperson Simon Sikwese.
The committee has the task of bringing back the sponsorship on either short term or long term basis, besides finding other entities to partner Be Forward as the main sponsor .
Be Forward Limited gave Wanderers a notice of December 31 as the expiry day of their sponsorship agreement.
The Nomads are also raising funds through an SMS promotion which was launched at their club house last month.
The promotion, ‘Wanderers Yanga /Wanderers Yathu’, has so far fetched about K5 million.
The Nomads need money to, among other activities, pay top players such as striker Michael Tete, defender Yunus Sherrif and midfielder Vitumbiko Kumwenda who cost the team over K4 million in both personal terms and transfer fee payments.
Peter Fote is a Sports Journalist with huge experience in radio and Television reporting, production and presentation. He once worked with Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and is currently working for Times Media Group.
