Napsa Stars Football Club head coach, Sipho Mumbi, voiced his frustration over the unexpected changes to the kick-off time for their Week 25 MTN Super League match against Red Arrows.
The Pensioners were defeated 1-0 by the Airmen at Nkoloma Stadium in a match that was initially scheduled for Saturday. However, it was postponed to Sunday due to a waterlogged pitch. The kick-off time, originally set for 10 hrs, was then shifted to 13 hrs for the Lusaka derby.
In his post-match comments, Mumbi expressed disappointment not only with the result but also with how the changes affected his team’s preparation. The defeat came courtesy of a first-half goal from James Chamanga.
“Very disappointed losing, but again, I will reminisce on the whole thing that happened today. It is the first time I am hearing such a thing; the game is supposed to start at 10:00 hrs, and again it is moved to 12:00 hrs,” he complained.
“Already it killed our preparation; the players couldn’t eat on time, and they only ate forty minutes before the game. It is not an excuse; it is just a fact of the matter.”
Don’t underrate Indeni- Mumbi warns
Mumbi urged his players to focus on their upcoming match against Indeni FC, who recently held ZESCO United to a goalless draw. Despite sitting at the bottom of the league table, Mumbi warned against underestimating the struggling side.
“We just have to go into the game against Indeni with a mentality to win unlike what we did in the first round. We just have to prepare and work on our mistakes and see if we can collect maximum points,” said Mumbi.
Currently, Napsa Stars sit in 11th place with 30 points, while their next opponents, Indeni FC, remain at the foot of the 18-team league with just 11 points.
READ MORE: Power Dynamos Coach Oswald Mutapa Eyeing Continental Football
