‘ NAPSA STARS WILL BOUNCE BACK STRONGER’
NAPSA Stars Chief Executive Officer, Ponga Liwewe says the Pensioners will bounce back stronger after surviving relegation during a disappointing 2023/ 2024 MTN/ FAZ Super League season.
Liwewe is confident that the Pensioners will regain their status as a force to reckon with in Zambian football.
After finishing the 2022/ 2023 season on fifth position, Napsa Stars struggled but managed to survive relegation by just a point during the 2023/ 2024 football season which was eventually won by Red Arrows.
Liwewe said it is regrettable that the Pensioners failed to achieve their objective which was to finish in the top four.
“Our aim was to replicate or even surpass our previous season’s success but regrettably we found ourselves in a fierce battle to avoid relegation instead,” Liwewe told the club’s media team.
Liwewe said injuries to dependable players such as Zikiru Adams and Nazim Amokachi had a negative impact on the pensioners who struggled to get goals with the club’s top scorer only managing to get score five goals in over 30 games.
Going into the new season, Napsa Stars will have a new head coach in Simpo Mumbi following the separation with head coach Perry Mutapa, goal keeper coach Yusuf Mwanza and team manager Chizengu Lukama.
Liwewe said; “Regrettably we had to part ways with the coach due to the team’s struggles. We had hoped that that the influx of new players in January would spark a turnaround but unfortunately it didn’t yield the desired results.”
Liwewe said the club is eager to bolster its attack to compensate for the poor performance recorded last season.
The Pensioners will kick off the 2024/ 2025 soccer season with a clash against Ndola giants Zesco United on August 17, 2024.