Rahman Gumbo on the verge of clinching second Malawi title

Former Highlanders and Warriors coach, Rahman Gumbo, is on the verge of retaining the league title in Malawi should his charges, MTL Wanderers win their last match of the season against third-placed Silver Strikers on Sunday.

Sacked from his earlier job as caretaker coach of the Warriors in 2005 after a lean spell in the qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations final in Egypt last year, Gumbo won the Malawian league championship in his first year in charge of MTL Wanderers, also known as The Nomads last season. At one time, he was tipped for an appointment as the Malawi senior national team coach owing to his success in the Malawi league.

His team is leading the log standings with 60 points after 27 matches with one match remaining. The Nomads lead second-placed Escom United by two points. In fact, he could have clinched the title on Sunday but his team lost 1-2 to its second-placed challengers, Escom United in a dramatic match, a top Malawian journalist told Zimbabwejournalists.com Wednesday.

Speaking from Lilongwe, Garry Chirwa, a top sports journalist for The Nation said despite the loss to Escom Wanderers, MTL Wanderers remain favourites. “Yes! Rahman is doing well,” said Chirwa.
“In fact they should have won the championship last week but they messed it up themselves. They lost 1-2 to Escom United.”

This means that The Nomads, need to win their final game at home to ensure they win the title, since Escom United are also still in with a chance if they win away to Big Bullets and Gumbo’s leaders draw or lose.

The Nomads’ match against Escom United was drama-filled after both teams accused the other of trying to use “juju” to win the outcome of the key tie. Both teams, said Chirwa, refused to use the official
entrance to Kalulu Stadium, fearing that if they did,
they would lose the match.

MTL Wanderers scrapped through a gap on the side of the pitch. Escom also opted to the same aperture on the perimetre fence. Later, The Nomads again refused to use the dressing room and dressed up on the pitch. While Escom United lined up for a group photograph before the match the Nomads refused. Only one player,
Gift Zakazaka posed for a photograph.

More chaos was to follow later, as the match was delayed for about 10 minutes after the Escom technical team refused to sit on the bench, fearing it was also laced with “juju.”

But in the end the Nomads came out of the drama 1-2 losers, presumably because their charms were less effective than their rival’s. Going into the match, the Nomads were three points ahead of Escom United but they failed to pick up the point they needed to wrap up the title.

Football Association of Malawi secretary general, Williams Banda, who witnessed the show, promised to act after a report from referee Bester Banda. “We strongly abhor beliefs in juju,” The Daily Times
newspaper quoted Williams Banda as saying.

“Teams just have to prepare well for their fixtures and avoid being superstitious. This tendency must be stopped forthwith. It does not help in the development of football at all in the country.”

Despite the setback, Chirwa said Gumbo remained optimistic of retaining the title. “Now Rahman's team are leading with 60 points and they only have a single game to wind up the season,” said
Chirwa.

“They --- must win (against Silver Strikers) at all costs because Escom who are on second position with 58 points from the same number of games, will be playing their last game as well against Big Bullets on the same day. But Gumbo is optimistic that he will do
well. I spoke to him yesterday (Tuesday.”

Gumbo, twice a championship winner as coach of Highlanders, worked as assistant to Sunday Chidzambwa at the Warriors’ first appearance at the African Cup of Nations finals in Tunisia 2004 and took over after his former boss resigned under pressure from the then Rafik Khan ZIFA board.

In his first game in charge, Gumbo led the Warriors to a 1-1 away draw to Gabon in March 2005; and followed that up with another 1-1 draw against Algeria at the National Sports Stadium in Harare.