William’s team
Ekhaya Football Club President William Mpinganjira has said they will not let their Airtel Top 8 success get into their heads as they need to stabilise the team’s form in the FDH Bank Premiership.
William was reacting to Ekhaya’s exploits after the side defeated Mighty Wanderers 2-1 to lift the Season 9 Airtel Top 8 trophy at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe City on Sunday.
“The focus would be to stabilise our performance in the league as we have been very inconsistent. So, we need to use this momentum to move up in the premiership,” William said.
Currently, Ekhaya are on 10th position in the premiership with 17 points from 14 matches, having won four matches, drawn and lost five.
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William said the team had noted areas which required strengthening, citing strikers and midfielders’ departments.
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“So, these are the focus areas for now. In the immediate term, we want to develop our own training centre to help the team prepare well for the future,” he said.
Nevertheless, William congratulated his charges for winning an elite competition in their second season in the country’s top-tier.
“First and foremost, congratulations to the boys for a fantastic performance and for winning the cup.
They worked hard, stayed focused and deserved the victory. I am incredibly proud of the team,” he said.
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Prior to the match, the attention was on William and his father Thomson Mpinganjira, who is the president of Wanderers.
In a true spirit of sportsmanship and modesty, William hailed his father for giving Ekhaya a good run for their money.
“I want to sincerely applaud my father, Dr Thomson Mpinganjira, and his team for a very competitive and entertaining match. They gave us a tough challenge and showed great sportsmanship. It is never easy playing against a team of that quality, and we have tremendous respect for them.
“For me, personally, playing against my father’s team makes the occasion even more special. I have the utmost respect for him—not just as my father, but as someone who has contributed so much to football and continues to support and inspire us.
On the pitch, we were competitors but, at the final whistle, he remains my dad and my greatest mentor.
Football has winners and losers, but family, friendship and respect go beyond the result.
Congratulations to our team, respect to my father and his team, and thank you to everyone who made this a great cup final. Today we celebrate the victory, but we also celebrate the beautiful game,” he said.
The Ekhaya President also hailed Football Association of Malawi for creating the platform and the media for promoting the game.
