By SANDRA MWILA –
THE MTN FAZ Super League league champions Zesco United has been put on the spotlight over their failure to meet all the club licensing requirements.
This is according to a statement released by Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) Communications Manager Desmond Katongo by First Instance Body (FIB) in compliance with the set sporting, infrastructure, administrative, legal and financial criteria of CAF and FAZ licensing regulations.
The four Zambian clubs in the CAF inter-club competitions have met the fundamental club licensing requirements and were issued with licenses to enter and compete in CAF competitions for the season 2018 but Zesco local licensing remains under review.
FAZ through the First Instance Body (FIB) has warned that no team will be allowed to compete in the FAZ Super League this season without meeting the club licensing criteria.
The four Zambian envoys in CAF competitions in Zesco, Zanaco, Nkana and Green Buffaloes have been given a green light to compete in the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup getting underway next month.
In a bid to make the Super League more professional and viable like the leading leagues in the world, FIB will subject every club that will be campaigning in the Super League to local licensing criteria in respect of their Super Division status of 2018.
Clubs that will come short of the set baseline requirements that have already been communicated to them in various licensing circulars will not be granted licenses for the 2018 season and face sanctions including ineligibility to compete in the Super League.
FIB chairperson Samuel Goma said the committee understands that clubs have been working hard to attain full compliance status and they are looking forward to supporting the processes within their mandate.
“Additionally, the FIB said it was finalising the review of all submitted documents from each Super Division clubs for 2018 season for licensing purposes.
“Every team competing in the 2018 season must have been successfully subjected to the basic minimum licensing requirements for the year. Clubs that shall fall short of the required standards will be communicated to in writing, giving them reasons for the decision taken against them” the statement said.
Aand Club Licensing manager Erick Mwanza said the FIB will be doing random inspection post license inssuance to ensure clubs remained compliant.
Mwanza said the inspections and meetings with the clubs would be conducted at their respective secretariats, training grounds and competition venues.
He said no meetings would take place at premises or institutions that may be major shareholders or partners of the clubs.