Malawi’s football stars under scrutiny

So far, the 2012/13 TNM Super League script has been written enough.

The fans are back patronising the topflight domestic league again. The atmosphere is electric. The stars and the flops are driving the fans crazy again for good and bad reasons.

Now in its 11th week, there has simply been no dull moments.

If you agree with SportsXtra that the drama has been endless, then let the main characters be John Banda, Vincent Chinthenga, Gabadinho Mhango, Heston Munthali, Joseph Kamwendo, Boniface Kaulesi, coach Bob Mpinganjira, Silver Strikers and Mighty Wanderers fans.

Well, it is difficult to do justice to the amazing story of Mpinganjira and his front man Chinthenga and his 10 goals in nine games.

Having been playing football non-stop since last year, thanks to lack of synchronised football calendar, ordinary human beings should been exhausted.

Soon after promotion from the Southern Region Football League (SRFL) in May 2012, Bvumbwe only rested for a week before starting a new lease of life in the Super League.

Yet, that has not been a problem, at least for now, for Chinthenga who is leading scorer in the league race. That is two months after clinching the Golden Boot Award in the SRFL, with 25 goals from 36 games.

“After being ejected by Wanderers in 2010 season, I thought I had no future in football,” Chinthenga told SportsXtra recently. “I owe it to the coach [Mpinganjira] for making me believe in myself again at a time when quitting the game crossed my mind.”

Having reached the Presidential Cup quarter-final and claim the SRFL championship, the stones that the Nomads rejected, Mpinganjira and his boy Chinthenga have delivered. This is at a time when Wanderers are struggling to get a sound partner for striker Diverson Chilemba.

Should Wanderers’ loss be Bvumbwe’s gain. Not necessarily, argued recently Wanderers general secretary David Kanyenda. But the fact that Bvumbwe kicked out the Nomads from the Presidential Cup, makes the irony all apparent.

At the time of writing, the story for Wanderers had seemed all too familiar that if Chilemba, who has five goals in 10 games, does not score, then the Nomads hardly wins. So blunt are the rest of their strikers that it takes Kamwendo to come to their rescue with his new-found panache for scoring from range.

Placed fifth on 17 points from a possible maximum of 30, it is too early to count the Nomads out of the Super League race. In coach Frank ‘Franco’ Ndawa, the Nomads have an astute reader of the game. The only dent are their supporters who have shown that they are still notorious for hooliganism.

Kamwendo transferred his club form to country, scoring thrice in some eight Flames games of all competitions. In the national team, he found company in Blue Eagles John Banda, who vindicated proponents of the domestic league.

Before his injury, Banda, too, had managed two goals in seven Flames games while at the same time keeping the Eagles ticking. The only worry is that the Fama Cup and Standard Bank Cup champions simply cannot take cup form to the Super League.

After beating rookies Kamuzu Barracks FC in June, it took coach Derklerk Msakakuona’s men another two months to register another win–beating Blantyre United 3-1 last week.

“It seems the boys were too desperate for goals. I told the boys to be patient,” Msakakuona told The Nation last week.

It is not only Banda who deserves the limelight. Down the left-wing, there have been some exciting darting and intelligent runs by Micius Mhone, who is surely one for the future.

The only sad thing is that two seasons after setting the scene alight, emerging as the Super League’s joint top scorer alongside Luka Milanzi on 17 goals, Chikondi Mpulula had at the time of going to bed not even found the net.

At the time of writing this, Red Lions had, before welcoming Silver Strikers, not lost in eight games. Having lost some eight players to Malawi Defence Force training, among other reasons, this has been an impressive start for the Lions with Emmanuel Banda, Daniel Katunga and Boniface Kulesi.

But can they carry their first round form to the where it matters most—the second round? Time will be the best judge for Collins Nkuna and his Zomba soldiers. But, for now, let the Lions bask in the glory of being the only one undefeated side in the league.

After all is said about Malawi football, there is Big Bullets. Every country has its own version of Bullets. A team that just touches on the pysche of the common man on the streets. With Bullets performing again on the pitch, the happy people are visible again in red.

James Chilapondwa has brought wisdom and discipline in midfield, making defenders’ job easy. Chimango Kaira has been a trusted servant. The Bullets midfield is probably the best. Rejected by Escom United twice, the last being a complete release, Heston Munthali had provided the final product at Bullets.

But then Munthali has never been the player for the fans. All the credit is being heaped on Gabadinho, the boy Chilapondwa is mentoring on how patience and timing produce goals.

At 20, the Gabadinho is Bullets’s new talisman. He wears his big heart on his small frame. He has a big match temperament. A desire to succeed. Watching him in action and all you see is the arrogance and never-say-die spirit that all Bullets players must have.

This has rubbed off other players such as Chirambo.After reaching Fama Cup final, Bullets are now in Presidential Cup final, quite a dramatic turn of fortunes for a club which coach Eddington Ng’onamo rescued from relegation last season.

Bullets are flying, but Silver Strikers are playing like real men. They are dropping points here and there, but they still are the team to catch, leading on 21 points at the time of writing. Gonani is still their main man upfront whereas the defence can sometimes give the Bankers’ fans some heart-attacks.

But coach Thom Mkorongo has to master the art of keeping happy all his stars and their egos. Make the likes of Harvey Mkacha, Peter Pindani, Sebastian Mhone and Clement Mvula happy, then who can beat Silver?

Lilongwe rivals Civo United are not offering any hint on something big to happen. It is the same old story. Just good, but not good enough for silverware.