Nomads trustees spoil players with K2 million

Be Forward Wanderers FC board of trustees chair Rashid ‘Rashy’ Gaffar and honorary trustee Aslam Gaffar have rewarded the players with K2 million for winning the inaugural Fisd Challenge Cup.

The Nomads beat Kamuzu Barracks 4-3 in post-match penalties on Sunday to win their second silverware this season after bagging the Carlsberg Cup.

The club’s team manager Stevie Madeira confirmed the development, saying: “It pleased the two trustees to reward the players. They each gave the team K1 million.”

He said in addition to that, the two trustees also rewarded goalkeeper Vales Kamzere, who was named man-of-the-match with K250 000.

Meanwhile, the Nomads on Sunday got a heroe’s welcome in Blantyre on arrival from their defining tour of duty in Lilongwe.

Hordes of blue-and-white clad Nyerere (Nomads fans) lined up the Lilongwe to Blantyre stretch of the M1 Road to get a glimpse of their team as they showed off the cup.

Unlike the last time when they sneaked out of the capital city after losing to Civo United 1-0 in the Standard Bank Knockout Cup finals last year, the Nomads were given a hearty send-off at around 9.30am by their Lilongwe-based fans who joined their convoy and escorted the team to Bunda Turn-off.

According to Madeira, everywhere they stopped, they were met by elated fans.

“The arrangement was to arrive in Blantyre before dusk, but the atmosphere was so electric that in some places that we did not plan to stop, we were forced to.

“The fans were particularly happy that we had won two cups in a season,” he said.

Madeira said, among other places, the Nomads had brief stops at Nathenje, Lizulu, Tsangano Turn-off, Ntcheu, Balaka Market, Balaka, Zalewa, Lirangwe, Chirimba and Lunzu.

At Zalewa, the team was welcomed by a group of over-enthusiastic fans who travelled from Blantyre and when they reached Kameza Roundabout, the atmosphere became electric as the fans forced the team’s convoy to move at snail’s pace, causing a traffic jam.

Through a cacophonous sea of blue and white on either side, the bus carrying Wanderers players slowly made its way through the commercial city late in the evening before heading to their club house along Lali Lubani Road in Chichiri.

Stand-in captain Joseph Kamwendo hailed the fans for their support.

“This is a Christmas gift to our supporters who have always been with us through thick and thin. It’s been a while since the team last won a double and the fans deserve the celebration,” he said. n