Domestic football powerhouse Nyasa Big Bullets will be turning 50 next year, but, sadly, despite the People’s Team’s rich history and success, except for players, the only assets they have to show off are three sets of uniforms, a broken cooler box and a five-litre chigubu that has long lost its colour.
A team that delights in the luxury of spoiling millions of its followers with countless silverware, does not have a place to call home and had it not been for a good Samaritan who offered them a room to use as a storeroom from a building that used to be their club house, they would have probably been operating from a bus-stop shelter.
The club has debts in excess of K60 million, including one for K1 200 it owes a chiwaya chips vendor Njazi who operates at Ginnery Corner who provided the players with a pre-match meal—all this because of a few greedy individuals who masquerade as officials out to serve the club.
The latest episode was last week when it was revealed that an unnamed official admitted to have used about R70 000 (about K3.5 million) from South African club Polokwane City, which was part of striker Muhammad Sulumba’s transfer fee.
And as I cooled off with a cold Carlsberg green beer last Friday evening at Pasomanje Bottlestore in Blantyre with the hit song Mwini Zinthu by Blaze playing in the background, I could not help but spare a thought for the People’s Team and Sulumba in particular.
And so while this gentleman might have spent the money on buying Brazilian weave for his mistress or offered it as capital for village bank, sadly the team will continue to struggle financially and it will end up being another missed opportunity for Sulumba who might be forced to come back to the sights and sounds of blackouts and persistent water shortage. Oh yes, back to the harsh reality of having zibwente for breakfast and ‘cha abambo’ puffs. Uloliwe wayidudula, neng’esiza hah! (oh yes, the train is pushing). Glory be to God.
