Wanderers eye Caf form review

The Mighty Wanderers Board of Directors says the club will conduct a full review of the team’s performance in the Caf Champions League, admitting the Nomads have fallen short of expectations on the international stage.

The review follows a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Tanzanian giants Simba Sports Club in the second-leg match of the competition on Sunday, a result that compounded an earlier 1-0 home loss at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe City the previous week.

Wanderers were eliminated from the tournament after conceding seven goals and scoring one across the two legs.

Reacting to the issue, Wanderers Board Secretary Chancy Gondwe said the scoreline did not tell the full story of the tie, insisting the two sides were more evenly matched on the pitch than the numbers suggest.

“The scoreline did not reflect the actual game. It did not reflect the balance of play between the two teams. We created chances,” Gondwe said.

He praised the players’ commitment but pointed to inexperience as the decisive factor in the tie, particularly in the biggest moments of both matches.

“We must also be honest; inexperience on the part of our players played a role in the outcome, especially in the decisive moments, and we have to own that. Let me be clear: The result was catastrophic. We are deeply disappointed and take full responsibility,” he said.

Gondwe acknowledged that the outcome fell well short of the backing the club had received from its president, Thomson Mpinganjira, in pursuing the Caf Champions League campaign.

“This outcome does not reflect the investment — time, money, emotion and preparation — that was poured into getting us ready. That is what makes it so painful. We are not here to make excuses,” he said.

He said the board would now undertake a full review before deciding on the way forward.

“We will sit down, reflect on everything and make bold decisions moving forward. We owe that to our president, who has supported our cause in this campaign; our supporters; to everyone who invested in this team; and to the standards we are supposed to uphold. We will not comment further until that review has taken place,” Gondwe said.

Football analyst and players’ agent Felix Ngamanya Sapao said the club’s problems run deeper than personnel on the pitch.

Sapao said an international coach with a strong grasp of football technology and modern methods should be high on the club’s list.

“Get our club football ecosystem in place accordingly and, then, the results will come. Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe are way ahead, and the gap is getting bigger,” Sapao said.