Karonga United are keeping tabs on Civil Sporting Club assistant coach Oscar Kaunda and Fish Eagles mentor Christopher Nyambose, ahead of their return to the flagship Tnm Super League.
Karonga who were relegated from the Super League at the end of the 2016 campaign, secured a swift return last weekend after clinching the Simama Northern Region Football League title, pipping Chilumba Barracks to the honours.
And as they prepare for a third stint in the elite league come 2018, club chairperson Alfeyo Chipanga Banda has disclosed ambitious plans to reinforce the team from the technical to the playing squad, in order to secure a permanent plot in the league.
“We are embarking on a serious drive to strengthen the team to avoid any relegation fears next season. That’s why we have approached Kaunda and Nyambose to beef up the technical panel,” said Chipanga.
According to Chipanga, Nyambose will be the head coach while Kaunda will deputise because the latter does not posses the required CAF B coaching licence, which is a minimum qualification for a Super League coach.
“We have initiated talks with both coaches and the ball is now in our court to meet their demands,” said Chipanga.
Kaunda was part of the Civo team that faced the chop last season after joining in the final weeks of the campaign.
As regards squad reinforcements, Chipanga said they are targeting 10 experienced players from Super League sides to join a team of 20 others comprised of the current crop and a few new faces from the Simama league.
The team is expected to regroup for pre – season friendlies as early as January 2018, three months before the start of the Super League season.
Meanwhile Chipanga has dismissed any fears of escalated tension between his team and Nyasa Big Bullets.
Reports suggest, supporters of the northern region outfit are still bitter with the assault on some of their players and officials by Bullets supporters during their Fisd Challenge Cup meeting at Chilomoni Stadium on 25 October, this year.
In that week, it was reported that Karonga supporters roughed up some BB fans within Karonga district in retaliation.
And after clinching Super League promotion last Sunday, a group of supporters was heard chanting anti – BB songs, as a warning to a purported act of revenge when Bullets visit them next season.
But while trashing any fears of premeditated violence against Bullets fans, Chipanga admitted there is need for the two teams to organise a pre-season friendly in Karonga to heal the wounds and erase all bitter memories of October 25.
“People are just talking about it on social media, its nothing serious. Some of our brothers like Chiukepo Msowoya play for BB so why would we want to fight them. After all this is not war but football. However we will engage the BB management for a friendly before kick off of the season, so that we can settle the outstanding differences once and for all,” said Chipanga.
The bad blood between the two teams, dates back to the 2016 season when Chipanga and other officials were manhandled by alleged BB fans during a league outing at the Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre.
Besides the beating, Karonga felt robbed by the referee in that 4-3 defeat, having led twice against the home side.
