IT is a world record equal, an unusual feat so rare in modern football TNM Super League champions Nyasa Big Bullets Coach Kallisto Pasuwa has definitely etched his name in their history and that of African football.
By Bhora Afrika
This is a fifth title on the trot for Pasuwa’s Nyasa Big Bullets, a feat only comparable to Massimiliano Allegri’s all-conquering Juventus squad of 2014 to 2019 or Manuel Jose’s 2004 to 2009 Al Ahly team that was central to it being named African Club of the Century.
What makes Pasuwa’s triumph astounding however is that the title he won on Sunday is his ninth in a row, having already claimed four consecutive ones with Zimbabwean giants Dynamos between 2011 and 2014 before crossing borders to East Africa.
He has won a league title in all nine seasons he has been in the dugout, a league title each season since he started coaching.
“Pasuwa once again showed how smart he is by balancing energy amongst his players. Going by the statistics, almost every registered player has featured for his team as Bullets had no established first eleven,” reads an analysis by Malawi24 of how he claimed the recent title.
“Pasuwa became very unpredictable and used different players in every fixture on a rotational basis. He gave playing minutes to his players to last long in a season in which his team was forced to play a game every three days due to their CAF Champions League participation.
“Every player has contributed to the team’s success and Pasuwa’s ability to swap out individuals in his starting eleven but still keep the same winning mentality and form was key.”
Nyasa Big Bullets claimed the title in their last fixture of the 2023 season, drawing 1-1 with Hendrik Pieter de Jongh’s second-placed Silver Strikers at Kamuzu Stadium to maintain a three-point advantage.
Pasuwa has already claimed the FDH Cup, the Charity Shield (at the start of the year) and is in the Airtel Top 8 Final.
He could also land his hands on another trophy, the Castel Cup before the season ends.
At Dynamos, Pasuwa claimed eight other Cups during his four-year stint to increase the Harare-based side’s record titles which now stand at 21.
He participated in the CAF Champions League, albeit with little success in claiming the continental trophy.