Triumphant BB back in town

A convoy of 15 cars, complete with police escort, welcomed TNM Super League Champions Big Bullets in the capital city Wednesday morning, disturbing traffic.

For over 30 minutes, the city was gripped with fans clad in red and white singing songs of victory.

The convoy went 30 kilometres outside Lilongwe City to welcome the players and escorted the team for a stretch of over 18 kilometres across the capital.

Big Bullets had a triumphant weekend after beating Fombon FC 1-0 away in the Comoros in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League, but the welcome yesterday was as if they had already won the cup, a sign of how Malawians are starved of such achievements.

“It is an encouraging welcome. We appreciate the support given to us by the Central Region fans.

“We will work hard to repay this by continuing to win games,” said the team’s captain Fischer Kondowe at Bunda Roadblock where the escorting fans left the team to proceed to Blantyre.

Confined in a 36-seater Toyota Coaster for over 4 000 kilometres, all the occupants on the bus looked worn out and deserved that kind of welcome to boost their morale.

Big Bullets vice-president, who doubles as Central Region supporters’ spokesperson Austin Kasito, said they needed to appreciate the team’s success in the Comoros by giving it a hearty welcome.

“It was a long journey and for the players to have achieved victory, we thought of giving them a befitting welcome. As Central Region committee, we had to treat them in this way to appreciate the effort they put up,” said Kasito.

Typical of them, the Lilongwe Bullets fans also contributed money for the players to buy tomatoes and Irish potatoes on their way to Blantyre, but the figure of the amount of money raised was not readily available. Reports indicate that in Mzuzu and at various other places the team’s faithful also contributed money towards the welfare of the players.

Kasito pledged that come rain or sunshine, they will ensure that their team fulfils all its CAF fixtures.

“We hear that in Mzuzu they had the same type of reception, unfortunately, the team passed that side in the early hours of the morning,” said Kasito.

Blantyre fans welcomeed the team at Kameza Round-About and the mood was similar to one Lilongwe’s.