dyton mupawaenda
Eddie Chikamhi–Senior Sports Reporter
EX-ZIMBABWE coach Kalisto Pasuwa reacted with ecstasy after etching his name in the history books of Nyasa Big Bullets at the weekend by achieving a feat that had last been realised by the club 50 years ago.
Pasuwa led Bullets to a 2-1 triumph over MAFCO FC to win the Airtel Top 8 Cup at Kamuzu Stadium on Saturday afternoon to complete a remarkable quadruple in the 2023 season.
Bullets swept every silverware that came their way including the Charity Shield, Kamuzu Cup, TNM Super League, FDH Bank Cup, Castel Challenge Cup and the Airtel Top 8.
It’s a feat that was last seen at the club in 1973.
Summing up his side’s quadruple-winning season, Pasuwa said his young squad was motivated to creating their own history 50 years after The People’s Team won four trophies in a single season.
“The reason for all this has been the togetherness, and this motivated the boys to win it for the management, their fans and everyone associated with this team.
“It has not been us only, but if you can see the rapport that was there amongst us, it made us sweep everything, which was there for all the teams to battle,” said Pasuwa.
In another milestone, Pasuwa has now won five straight league titles in Malawi, to take his career haul to nine league titles. He had previously completed a four-peat with Dynamos back home in Zimbabwe.
He, however, is still scratching his head on how to navigate the CAF Champions League which has proved to be a big challenge every time he makes an attempt. He believes his team has many things to learn before plunging into the 2024 inter-club competitions.
“We have won (everything locally this season), but these boys still have a lot of things to learn if we are to make more progress, especially in the CAF Champions League, where we have been failing to make a breakthrough.
“I just want to thank the boys for how they pushed themselves to achieve what they have achieved this year. Hopefully, we will do better in terms of collecting mistakes next season,” he explained.
The former Dynamos and Zimbabwe national team coach also addressed media assertions that he played mind games in a season in which he lost key players, including Chimwemwe Idana and Babatunde Adepoju, who formed the back-bone of his 2022 winning squad.
“No, it wasn’t mind games. If you can see, most of these guys struggled a lot, and if there is a season in which we struggled it was this one, especially in the league where it was tough to win away games and we registered many draws away from home,” he said.
Pasuwa also cleared the air on reports linking him away from Bullets, saying he still has a year on his contract to fulfil. The 53-year-old has been linked with South African sides Kaizer Chiefs and Richards Bay.
“I still have one year left on my contract. I signed a contract and I have to fulfil it. I am here to work for this team,” said Pasuwa.
Online Reporter