‘Family, friendship and respect go beyond the result’: Will’s heartfelt words for father Thom Mpinganjira

Ekhaya FC president William Mpinganjira has spoken movingly about facing his own father, Mighty Wanderers president Thomson Mpinganjira, in Sunday’s dramatic Airtel Top 8 final — insisting the historic clash was about far more than just football.

Speaking after Ekhaya’s stunning 2-1 victory over the Nomads, William paid tribute to his father, describing the occasion as one that carried special personal significance despite the two men sitting on opposing sides of the technical divide.

“I want to sincerely applaud my father, Dr Thomson Mpinganjira, and his team for a very competitive and entertaining match. They said sportsmanship. It is never easy playing against a team of that quality, and we have tremendous respect for them,” William said.

He went on to reflect on the unique nature of going head-to-head with his own father on the football pitch, insisting the family bond remained intact regardless of the result.

“For me, personally, playing against my father’s team makes the occasion even more special.

“I have the utmost respect for him — not just as my father, but as someone who has contributed so much to football and continues to support and inspire us.

“On the pitch, we were competitors but, at the final sportsmanship, football has winners and losers, but family, friendship and respect go beyond the result,” he said.

William also turned his attention to the wider significance of the victory, congratulating his players for their fighting spirit throughout the tournament.

“First and foremost, congratulations to the boys for a fantastic performance and for winning the cup. They worked hard, stayed focused and deserved this momentum to move up in the premiership,” he said.

Currently sitting 10th in the Premiership with 17 points from 14 matches — having won four, drawn two and lost five — Ekhaya’s president said the club had already identified key areas for improvement as they look to kick on, singling out the striker and midfield departments as priority areas.

“So, these are the focus areas for now. In the immediate term, we want to develop our own training centre to help the team prepare well for the future,” William added.

He closed his remarks with a message of gratitude to everyone involved in the historic final.

“Congratulations to our team, respect to my father and his team, and thank you to everyone who made this a great cup final. Today we celebrate the victory, but we also celebrate the beautiful game,” he said.