For lack of a better term, the happenings at City of Lusaka can be described as a shame.
It doesn’t matter which side one is on, but the constant bickering has only led the team down to Division with the results of the in-fighting being projected with terrible results on the pitch.
It is even difficult now to keep count of how many factions there are at Woodlands Stadium. There is one of the Board of Trustees led by Christine Mulundika, the executive, Sponsors Forli led by Diego Casilli and the paid up members.
In the last few months, we have seen one group fight this one and before long, the two join hands to fight another group or sat times, two groups fighting one and in a blink of an eye, they turn on each other and making the ‘brawl’ at Woodlands stadium a free-for-all.
All this came to the surface the moment City of Lusaka received some sponsorship from Forli which has been topped up with an even bigger one from Vodafone. Looks like money is a curse at Woodlands Stadium.
While a whole load of clubs are blaming the lack of money for their poor results, at City of Lusaka, it is the abundancy of it that has brought problems. When Cavmont moved in to sponsor the club in the 2000, problems arose and the team quickly went to Division-One where the storm calmed.
Their life in the top flight has this year been characterised by nothing but in-fighting with little regard that the team was playing so miserably and was headed just one direction, down to Division-One. It would not be strange to there were camps in the team as well. Maybe their life in Division-One will finally bring quiet to the football.
On the latest issues, it remains a wonder how a sponsorship deal and leasing of land for development can result in the transfer of shares. Cavmont, when taking up sponsorship of City of Lusaka, it somehow ended up with 300, 000 shares equivalent to 59 per cent stake in the club. A certain Tom Ryan was working with Cavmont at that time. Ryan in 2015 agreed a deal with Forli which should culminate in the transfer of the said shares.
This happened before Forli moved in to sponsor the football club and it is shocking how such an important detail was kept secret and away from the public when the City Executive was agreeing a sponsorship deal with Forli.
Was the executive deliberately hiding this from the public or they were also ambushed with the deal Forli had with Tom Ryan.
I feel the people who signed the sponsorship deal with Cavmont, whether it’s the bank of a certain Cavmont FMO should come in the open and put this matter to bed.
Otherwise, this will not be sorted out and if the squabbling continues, Division Two may happen.
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Congratulations to Augustine Mulenga on being crowned 2017 Zambian footballer of the year and that K25, 000 is a well-deserved reward on a strong performance this year, the money way more than Naps stars received for finishing seventh on the table and just K5, 000 shy of what went to Power Dynamos for finishing sixth.
Teams that finished 11 to 20 got a K7, 000 each and then Zanaco for finishing second received K100, 000. It is safe to say MTN Zambia got a lot more out of publicity for being linked to Zambia’s biggest game.
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