By Sylvester Mwale –

THE Kabwe Youth Soccer Academy (KYSA) says it will pass the right to play in the FAZ Premier Division this year despite winning promotion because it is in contravention of the original objectives of the school.
Club Secretary Victor Mupeta and president Frank Miti said in separate interviews that KYSA was a football school team and could therefore not be pitted against professional clubs in the FAZ top flight division.
Mupeta added that the death of club chairman Evans Mutangama had further complicated matters for them as management had no idea on how to cover huge costs associated with fulfilling fixtures in the championship.
KYSA was founded by Miti in 2003 for talent promotion, identification and development but has been a great example of a success story after winning promotion to the premier league within four years of playing FAZ organised football.
Mupeta, however, noted that even if there were enough resources, playing in the Super Division would have gone against the objectives of the academy which was to help the young people below the age of 20.
“We are a school, and the school cannot be competing with big clubs the likes of Zesco, Kabwe Warriors and Zanaco; we are far from that so our main aim is to go back and revamp the academy and start afresh. Otherwise, it’s impossible for us to compete in the Super Division,” He said.
He said that the club’s top position was now up for takes from interested teams but after talks and an agreement.
“That position that we have (in FAZ super Division ), whoever gets it will have to give us what belongs to the academy so that we start again, the team that will take that position will have to give us something,” he said.
He said the club was now planning to officially inform FAZ on the developments, with the news expected to excite City of Lusaka who had started talking to the Kabwe side before Mutangama died.
He said however that the academy would first sit down with its stakeholders in Kabwe before officially informing FAZ on the decision not to play in the elite league.
The Secretary refuted speculation that the academy had been sold to City of Lusaka which was demoted last season, saying there had been no approach from any club.
Meanwhile, Miti said the death of Mutangama was a big blow to the academy because he was influential in mobilising resources for the club to travel and fulfil the fixtures as well as pay stipend to the players.
The former Nchanga Rangers midfielder who is currently coaching Division-One side Prison Leopards called on people interested to take up the role of supporting the academy as well as the position in the super division to approach the club.
“These are players that were paid K150 as winning bonus and surely it’s not a fair competition to subject them to compete with the clubs in the elite league; so we need to go back to the objectives of the academy, it’s not a club but a school,” he said.