Mufulira Wanderers are Zambia’s most successful football club and are based in the Copperbelt town of Mufulira. Popularly known as Mighty Mufulira Wanderers, the club has won over 40 major trophies and has also produced some of the country’s greatest players. Wanderers are currently playing in the 2nd tier of Zambian league football.
| Full name | Mufulira Wanderers Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Mighty |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Ground | Shinde Stadium Mufulira (Capacity: 12,000) |
| Coach | Allan Kamwanga |
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Mufulira Wanderers Football Club was formed in 1953 as Mufulira Mine Team with Jim Crow as coach and Mutende ground as their home. In 1956, Samuel Ndhlovu, arguably Wanderers’ best ever player and Zambia’s greatest forward of the ‘60s joined the team from Kankoyo Mine School and started out in the 3rd team.[1]
Three years later, Ndhlovu, George Sikazwe, Pennius Chirwa and Harwood Chimaliro were co-opted into the welfare section of mine community development as club organizers and by the following year, Ndhlovu, Sikazwe and Pennius Chirwa had made it into the first team.[1]
In April 1962, Wanderers' home ground Shinde Stadium was opened and goalkeeper Tolomeo Mwansa joined the team. In the same year the name changed to Mufulira Wanderers. After missing out on the inaugural National Football League championship of 1962, Wanderers won the title the following year and this signalled the beginning of their dominance on the Zambian soccer scene.[1]
From 1962, Northern Rhodesia (Zambia) & Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) would compete for the Inter-Rhodesia Castle Cup which saw the Castle Cup champions of each country fighting for the super cup. In 1965, it was decided to do away with the trophy by having one last final, and that the winners of the trophy, which had always been won by Zimbabwean clubs, would keep the trophy for good. Wanderers had won the right to compete in this final by winning the local Castle Cup against City of Lusaka 5-2. The final turned out to be one of the most memorable matches in Zambian football history as the Mighty men eclipsed City Wanderers before a crowd of 18,000 on 17 October 1965 at Glamis Stadium in Salisbury to win the trophy 4-3 with goals from Ndhlovu, Willie Kunda and two goals from Elijah Mwale.[2]
Wanderers were the dominant team in Zambian football in the 60’s and won the League a record 5 times, including 3 in a row from 1965-67. Ndhlovu thrilled fans everywhere Wanderers played with his dribbling skills and superb passing. His prowess was recognized when he became the first footballer to win the Zambian Sportsman of the Year award in 1964 and there was a benefit match between Wanderers and Kitwe Sports to mark his 10 years in professional football in 1966.[2]
The team also won several more cups and lifted Zambia’s inaugural Charity Shield trophy in 1967. Their achievements overshadowed the efforts of cross-town rivals Mufulira Blackpool.
In September 1969, striker Robertson Zulu set a club record by scoring 9 goals when Wanderers beat Kabwe United 14-1 in a Heinrich Cup tie.
Wanderers dominance continued into the 70s with Ndhlovu still dazzling opposing defenders and Zambian national team captain Dickson Makwaza manning the defence. The team had a ‘never-say –die- attitude’ and developed a habit of scoring late goals and winning matches often from a losing position. Thus the phrase ‘Mighty awina ichungulo’ (bemba meaning ‘Mighty wins in the dying minutes) was coined. The team also had the distinction of featuring 3 brothers from the Nkole family in the same team – Abraham (who was a goalkeeper but also played as a striker), and defenders Edward and Patrick.
The emergence of Kabwe Warriors with Godfrey Chitalu in red-hot form meant Wanderers faced stiff competition in the league. The Kabwe team won the league 3 times in a row as did Green Buffaloes so Wanderers had to wait until 1976 for their first title of the ‘70s. By this time, Ndhlovu had retired and striker Thomas Bwalya emerged as a key player who placed 5th during the voting for African Footballer of the Year in 1977, won by Tunisia’s Dhiab Tarek.[3]
When the Mighty men won the league in 1978, it would be their last league triumph for almost 20 years.
Wanderers made history by becoming the first Zambian club to make it to the semi-finals of the Africa Club Champions Cup by beating Moulodia of Algeria 3-2 on aggregate in September 1977.[4] Though they lost the semi-final to Hearts of Oak of Ghana, Wanderers repeated the feat the following year but this time in the Africa Cup Winners Cup where they lost to MAHD of Algeria.
After winning the league title in 1978, Wanderers experienced several near-misses for the next 15 years, and their record of 7 league titles was surpassed by rivals Nkana FC who set a new record of 11 league championships. They however continued to dominate cup competitions, earning the tag of Zambia’s most ‘winningest team’, and became known as the ‘legendary cup fighters.’
In the early 80s, Shinde Stadium was closed for renovations so Wanderers used Central Sports Ground for their home matches for the 1981 and 1982 seasons.
In the mid-80s, players such as Ashious Melu, Kalusha Bwalya, Efford Chabala, Charles Musonda and Johnson Bwalya featured for Wanderers and when Chabala just missed out on the Footballer of the year award to Kabwe Warriors’ Jack Chanda in 1985, it prevented what would have been a 5 year clean sweep after wins by Melu (1983), Kalusha Bwalya (1984), Johnson Bwalya (1986) and Melu again in 1987.
In 1989, Melu signed up with Greek club Olympiakos for $100,000 which is still the record fee received by Wanderers for a player transfer and when Allan Kamwanga served as Zambian captain in 1998, it meant no less than 6 Wanderers players had captained the country – Ndhlovu, Makwaza, Ackim Musenge, Melu, Chabala and Kamwanga .
When Melu’s European career ended in 1992, he returned to Wanderers as part of the coaching bench and was in charge when their league title drought ended with back to back titles in 1995-96. The following year, Wanderers retained the Challenge Cup and this turned out to be their last trophy to date.
The end of 90s saw a change in Wanderers’ fortunes. The changing economic horizon saw Mufulira Mine taken over in a wholesale privatisation exercise and the new owners did not place recreation activities at the top of their priority list. Furthermore, conflicts within the club’s executive did not help matters. In 2001, the unthinkable happened; reduced funding meant Wanderers were no longer able to compete against their rivals and poor performance in the league culminated in their relegation to Division I when they finished 4th from the bottom. By a stroke of good fortune, Railway Express, a team which ended the season above them disbanded and Wanderers retained their premier league status though there was an uproar from several quarters, not least from the teams which were next in line for promotion from the 1st division. However, the decision stood and Wanderers continued in the Premier League in 2002 though they found themselves in the same situation at the end of the season. Needing a win in their final game of the season against Nkwazi FC at Shinde on November 16, 2002, Wanderers could only manage a goalless draw and were relegated causing untold anguish among their fans. Reports went round of Wanderers trying to avoid relegation by pushing for an increase in the number of teams but lightning could not strike twice as the behind-the-scene manoeuvres came to nought and Wanderers found themselves playing Division I football the following season.
In 2004, Wanderers finished 2nd in Division I and won promotion back to the top league but administration problems persisted and they made a swift return to the second tier where they are still struggling to get back to the Premier League.[5] Former international defender Allan Kamwanga is the coach trying to guide the team back to the top league.
Wanderers are under the sponsorship of Mopani Copper Mines
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