Before the upcoming football season, Thomson Mpinganjira, president of Mighty Mukuru Wanderers football club has issued a warning to the team’s supporters to refrain from using violence during league matches.
This comes after his club, one of the oldest football clubs in Malawi with a huge fan base ended the season without fans.
Some of their fans during a match last season vandalized plastic chairs at Bingu National Stadium resulting in a fine of K22 million ($13,000).
He has indicated that in the new season, the club management has resolved to be hiring police armed with guns to deal with unruly supporters.
Mpinganjira added: “Tell Wanderers supporters in Lilongwe, if they dare again [bringing chaos at the stadium] they will face PMF, every Wanderers game I will be hiring PMF. They must stop, otherwise it will not end well with them.”
This is, among other things, which have angered Mpinganjira. He has so far made crucial decisions at the end of the season by firing the entire technical panel, dissolving board members’ committee and supporters committee.
“This season we will come up with new officials in positions and our target is to win the league and a cup,” he said.
Wanderers fans once abducted team’s captain.
When the Mighty Mukuru Wanderers met FCB Nyasa Big Bullets in July of last year in Blantyre, the club hired twenty armed police officers to guard the team as it entered and exited the stadium.
The move was made in response to player attacks by Wanderers supporters during a 1-1 league draw against Dedza Dynamos at home in the previous game.
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After the game, they advised the players to walk home rather than take the team bus. In addition, they seized the team captain and hauled him to the clubhouse, where they demanded for him to quit the team and ordered that he apologize for the subpar performance.
