Head Coach for Mzuzu University football club popularly known as Mzuni FC; Alex Ngwira has advised Zodiak sports reporter Mike Bango to always strive for professionalism in his sports coverage especially on issues concerning his Mzuni FC.
The Coach made the appeal against a recurrent accusation by the Luwinga based intellectuals that Bango gives them negative publicity, recent being events surrounding the team’s qualification into the TNM super League. Mzuni officials say that Bango is refusing to let it go by still painting the picture that their team— Mzuni FC— is not the right team to play in the super League despite an official announcement and declaration by the legitimate body running Simama Northern region football League that Mzuni FC are the dejure Champions of the lower league and therefore qualified for the top flight league—The TNM Super League of Malawi.
‘Bango is always against Mzuni FC. He can interview an official from another team and fail to interview an official from our team on the same so that the public can make informed decision on an issue. I think he deliberately ignores profesionlism when it comes to reporting issues concerning Mzuni FC,’ said Ngwira adding that his conduct is forcing Mzuni FC and its supporters (Students) to believe that he (Bango) has natural hatred for the team.
Asked as to why he thinks Bango loathes his team; Ngwira was not sure but was again forced to believe what he was told by those who are close to Bango that the promising award winning sports presenter vowed to paint the students team as devils taking into account the bad behavior the supporters (Students) display in their football matches.
But on this, Ngwira was quick to assure Bango and indeed the entire nation that his team is a changed side and should not worry.
‘Let him slow down on his attacks, Mzuni FC is a changed team,’ Ngwira said.
On his part, Bango, in a telephone interview, sounded defiant.
‘They might be in College but these guys need to be schooled’
‘If it was in a court, the issue is about Chilumba Barracks FC Vs Simama League authorities; why should I interview Mzuni FC officials,’ rhetorically asked Bango.
He further disclosed that ‘this is a disputed championship’ giving the impression that it will be over until it is over.
However, Mzuni Coach Ngwira disclosed that preparations for the TNM super League are going on smoothly saying he is assembling a strong squad that will survive the TNM super League scare. Teams which have been qualifying from the Northern region are always relegated by the end of the season.
‘We have identified best players from the region, from Kabwafu, Koronga, Nkhatabay, you name it. I hope we will build a strong side’ said the Coach while disclosing that they will be receiving TNM branded uniforms by Tuesday next week.
‘We sent our Logo yesterday and they told us that our uniforms will be ready by Tuesday next week,’ disclosed Ngwira in a clear show of stamping authority that Mzuni FC are the official champions as declared by Simama league and not Chilumba Barracks FC—the unofficial champions of the League according to information from only Bango sports desk among the many sports desks across the country.
In a clear attempt to tell the nation that Bango is fighting a losing battle; Ngwira proudly disclosed that Football Association of Malawi (FAM) in conjunction with SULOM have asked them (Mzuni FC)—as is the tradition from all super League Teams— to dispatch three officials to go to Salima this coming Saturday where all TNM super League Team’s officials will be having an indaba to vote for new office bearers to run the TNM Super League of Malawi (SULOM) for the next years.
The battle between Mzuni FC and Mike Bango reached a climax last week when former Mzuni officials released a strongly worded open letter to Zodiak radio’s Managing Director Gospel Kazako asking him to discipline Bango over what they also branded as biased reporting on their team.
“You may wish to revisit the recorded programme of yesterday’s (2nd March,2015) TNM soccer show as well as Sunday’s (March 1,2015) Morning’s Sports Show where he abruptly inserted a nonentity to simply lambast Mzuni FC. In both programmes, we believe you will not miss the sarcasm and ridicule which he deliberately introduced when covering about the attacked team,” read the open letter in part while bringing to his attention that the biased reporting is causing a lot of confusion to the body running the League.
“His poor and biased coverage is causing confusion within the Executive Committee running the League in the Northern region while Mzuni FC is being tortured to embrace the hate. Your Chap, Bango, is deliberately creating a mountain out of a molehill in as far as Simama League is concerned.
“We further encourage your management to investigate rumors that he, Bango, has received bribe from Major Bicyle of Chilumba Barracks FC to unleash propaganda against Mzuni FC as he is currently doing,” the letter submitted.
The open letter further presented the following demands to Kazako that;
“1. Your Chap Mike Bango whom we are not sure of his professional qualifications should with immediate effect stop covering about Simama Football League issues until this issue is fully resolved by the officials as he wants us to believe that there are issues when there is no any issue.
“2. You discipline him based on professional conduct as his abuse of office is putting the image of the respected Zodiak radio in disrupt,” adding that
“we have recent cases where unprofessional conduct in respected institutions in our country is not being condoned and we can cite Black Jack of Times TV and Timpunza Mwansambo—who despite their mesmerizing talents—have been taught a lesson that you get the chop if you are not playing by the rules of the game.”
However, Bango in the interview admitted that he was not impressed with the open letter telling Mzuni FC officials to formally address his employers in private if they have issues with him and not writing open letters as they did.