As is the tradition in Malawi football, three teams from the Lower region thus FISD Wizards from Sejjere Southern region football league, Dedza Young soccer saints from Chipiku Central region football league and Mzuzu University (Mzuni) FC from Northern region Simama football League got the promotion into the top flight league in the country, the TNM super League, this season.
Out of these three rookies, only Mzuni FC has survived relegation when we saw its peer Dedza Soccer Saints being bundled out of the League by EPAC FC on Saturday. FISD Wizards were already dumped into the southern region Lower league.
In Malawi football, it is not strange for rookies to return to where they came from after playing for one season in the top flight league and the examples are many to substantiate this assertion. For Mzuni FC, it follows that it has made a stunning achievement of surviving in the league considering the fact that, for five years, rookies from the region were facing the chop in their very own first season of playing in the League. Ekwendeni FC, Kabwafu FC, Juke Box, Mzuzu United and Karonga United never withstood the TNM Super League heat from the region and were ‘weeded’ by the end of their qualifying seasons.
What was the secret behind this success? This reporter caught up with Mzuni FC chairperson Mr Albert Mtungambera Harawa who is also a Lecturer in Languages and Literature at the University to give us his reaction on this much unexpected feat which the team has achieved.
Below is the one on one no holds-barred interview with Mtungambera Harawa, Mzuni FC Chairperson. Excerpts
Reporter: You, the entire team and supporters must obviously be on cloud nine having survived in the TNM Super League by whisker when your peers have been certified un-fit to stay in the League. Congratulations but did you see this coming?
Mtungambera Harawa: Yes, I saw it coming though wrapped in myriad challenges.
Reporter: What was your secret? Kinnah Phiri effect?
Mtungambera Harawa: Well, resilience, determination, unity of purpose and hardworking spirit constituted the driving force behind our success. The executive committee and the technical panel of Mzuni FC worked tirelessly to transform the young players into a formidable force. As a family, we exchanged notes and worked out the possible way out of the quagmire. As the league was drawing towards the end, we discovered one trick: psychological trauma could be solved psychologically. Our players needed someone to induce in them a spirit of self-belief and self-determination. It could not come from anywhere else but from a role model.
We were therefore lucky to have legend Kinnah Phiri close to us. Mr Phiri was not only a Technical Director. He was a role model for our young players. He told our players what he used to do; how he scored unpredictable goals; and then later, how he defied odds as the coach, beating the biggest teams in Africa. He told players “You will win all the remaining games,” and the players believed him and true to Kinnah’s assertions, the young team started winning the games back to back. So, yes, Kinnah’s presence worked some miracles among the players and the whole team.
Reporter: Is your survival in the league a sign that your team is now a force to reckon with?
Mtungambera Harawa: Ha, ha, ha, ha!!! Let me take you back a bit. Mzuni FC has suffered a great deal because of the media. When we were declared Northern Region Simama League Champions, one journalist asked me a difficult question. Instead of congratulating Mzuni FC for being declared champions, he asked me an awkward question, saying, “Kaporo Stars have gone to court stopping you from being champions, what is your take on that?” At that time I didn’t know that the issue was continuing. The journalists in Blantyre were the first to know about this saga. In response to the journalist’s question, I laughed lungs out because I knew I was not against Kaporo Stars but journalists.
The media was ready to tarnish Mzuni FC’s image. How could a journalist in Blantyre and Lilongwe be more knowledgeable about an issue in Karonga? That was and still is absolutely absurd. If journalists are interested in an issue, they should carefully examine the issue by talking to both sides. Mzuni FC was never interviewed. It was Kaporo Stars that was being interviewed and then the issue was on air. I really don’t know where these learned scribes did their journalism. I will not hide here: journalists prolonged the otherwise well concluded issue.
Now because of these wrangles, Mzuni FC lost beautiful talented players that we had initially talked to such as Eneya Banda, Chimwemwe Chisambi and Isaac Phiri who ended up joining Big Bullets, Silvers Strikers and Civo, respectively.
These players could not wait for the wrangle as there was apparently no end to the dispute that was well covered by these unfortunate scribes. Mzuni FC had to do with the remaining talents of the teams’ squad. Furthermore, as the kick off drew near, Mzuni FC was busy preparing for a replay game with Kaporo Stars that never took place. At that point, we had two teams: one preparing for a TNM game against Dedza YS and KB and another for a replay SIMAMA game against Kaporo Stars. Due to time constraint, we started off for Dedza on Friday, and we were to play Dedza YS the following morning. Our players had no cards; as we were on our way to Dedza, our General Secretary was on his way from SULOM offices in Blantyre with players’ cards.
The team was clearing players with their parent clubs while in transit. Which team in Malawi had ever done that before? Players reached Dedza in the morning and were to play a game the same day in the afternoon. Saturday morning, the coach could not come up with a line up because the GS was still on his way to Dedza with players’ cards.
In short, we lost the first games because of fatigue and psychological trauma that the whole team had gone through. That spirit kept haunting the whole team up to second round. This time around I hope journalists will spare us of the ridicule and spite that we have been subjected to. Now we have three months before kickoff, what do you expect of Mzuni FC?
Reporter: What will you do to make your team a formidable side next TNM Super League season or will you keep on fighting relegation even next year?
Mtungambera Harawa: We have all the time to carefully select the players to remain in the squad. We shall go out and pick the best on the market to beef our squad. Come next season, Mzuni FC should be a changed side. I don’t think we shall be busy fighting relegation next year. Let other teams do that. We had had enough of it.
Reporter: What is the future of your team’s coach Alex Ngwira when we hear that the legendary Kinnah Phiri was also coaching the team in the background? Will you replace Ngwira with Phiri next season?
Mtungambera Harawa: Well, first and foremost, Mr Ngwira is an employee of Mzuzu University. Whether he is winning games or not he remains with Mzuzu University. He was employed to teach football at the institution. Mr Kinnah Phiri is our technical director who is on two months contract that may be extended anytime on mutual understanding between Mzuni FC and Mr Phiri. If he is still in the country, we may utilize his presence. More importantly, Mzuni FC will go to the polls on 15 January 2015 to elect the next Executive Committee. It will be up to the new committee to convince Mr Phiri to continue helping the team. Whatever happens on 15 January 2015 will determine the future of the mentors of our young team.
Reporter: Your supporters—the students, the Green Intellectuals— have been hailed as the best supporters in the country by football commentators on the radio saying they cheer your team throughout the game even when your side is losing. Contrary to the expectation of some quarters, your supporters too, have emerged as one of the best disciplined supporters in the country; they definitely deserve a part on the back. Mr Chair, what message do you have to them as you prepare for the next season in the TNM Super League?
Mtungambera Harawa: We made our supporters read all the rules and regulations governing the beautiful game of football. So the Green Intellectuals are aware of the rules governing the game. We instituted supporters’ club to oversee all activities of the supporters. Students are therefore able to control one another. After all, we call them students, yes, but some of them are employed people, working in different fields. Some of the supporters are police officers who had ever provided security at football games while others are army officers who are very conversant with security rules of our country. What a blessed club! Mzuni FC is self-contained. This is why they dance throughout the 90 minutes of play, whether we win or lose because we know it is part of the game. Next season watch out for more displays by Mzuni FC supporters. We will engage yet another gear; the public has not seen Mzuni FC supporters at their best. The best is yet to come.
I thank Mzuni management for their understanding. If it were not for Mzuni management, we would have not fulfilled the engagements. Finally, let me thank all our supporters wherever they are: Thank you for being there for us. Mzuni FC executive wishes you a merry Christmas and a prosperous new year. We promise you our supporters “more fire” in the 2016 season.
Reporter: Congratulations once again for your achievement. You, the Green Intellectuals, have proved that you can walk and chew the gum. Thank you so much for sparing your time to talk to us, Mr Chair.
Mtungambera Harawa: You’re welcome.