Lessons from Army teams’ success story
It is hard to predict the success of a football team. But when it happens, everyone is keen to find out the secret behind the sudden change of fortunes.
Kamuzu Barracks (KB) is a good example of a local team whose sudden rise to fame has inspired many sports lovers.
KB has moved from being whipping boys in their maiden TNM Super League season in 2012/2013 where they finished 13th out of 15 teams to win the 2013/14 first round on 29 points. In addition, KB early this month emerged champions of the prestigious Carlsberg Cup.
“We are a team that thrives on team spirit. Our team does not have a regular first 11 as is the case with most local clubs. We feature players depending on our opponents’ system of play.
“If they are a very physical side, we slot in no-nonsense defenders and if we realise they have come with a very tactical approach, we feature players capable of making flawless long passes and shooting,” said interim coach Billy Phambala.
The Class-B CAF coaching licence holder, who admires English Premier League side Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho, also believes the blending of veteran stars such as Dave Banda and Joel Chipofya with new blood in the likes of Leyman Nthara and Kelvin Hanganda is the secret behind the team’s success story.
But the 38-year-old former Tigers FC and Red Lions FC player said their historic achievements could not have come without the financial and material support they get from MDF.
Apart from KB, other Army teams are also doing well in the league and cup competitions.
As KB bask in Carlsberg Cup glory after beating fellow soldiers Moyale Barracks 1-0 in the finals, their cousins Mafco FC had already fortified their castle with the Presidential Cup while another MDF side Red Lions lies third on the TNM Super League table besides reaching the semi-finals of the 2013 Carlsberg Cup.
The MDF teams also seem to lead in terms of individual brilliance taking into account that KB’s midfielder Harvey Mkacha emerged the Carlsberg Cup top scorer with six goals whereas Moyale Barracks’ star Gastin Simkonda second with four goals.
What have Army teams done to suddenly dominate local football?
John Kaputa, who has been MDF sports officer for almost a decade, attributed the success to the restructuring of their pillars; players, coaches, equipment and facilities, time for training and discipline.
“We remembered the saying ‘Rome was not built in a day’. We realised that success comes to you if you show determination to get it. With the unwavering support we get from the authorities, especially our commander, we looked into our soul and saw a hole that needed to be sealed,” he said.
Kaputa also said in the past, Army teams struggled because young players were reluctant to become soldiers due to the bad myths associated with the profession and, as a result, they only had old and rusty players that could hardly stand the heat in elite competitions.
But, he said, after they recently demystified the old beliefs and made soldiers work known to the public, the profession has attracted interest among most youthful stars.
“Moreover, our tendency to take all good players to beef up Red Lions FC, which was regarded MDF’s main football team, resulted in the stunted growth of other Army teams. But now things have changed for the better because each Army team searches for its own players,” said Kaputa.
He also said their recent strategy to allocate coaches to Army teams based on their ability to mingle well with players rather than on past record has been a major turning point.
Kaputa cited Phambala who apparently failed to do well when he was in charge of Cobbe Barracks in the 2011 Super League despite emerging Arkay Southern Region Football League’s (SRFL) Premier League champions the previous year.
