By ADRIAN MWANZA –
THE Confederation of African Football (CAF) has realigned the African clubs’ football competitions calendar so it runs like the European one where the season will open in September and run until May.
Further, the continental football authority has taken up the responsibility of paying referees assigned to CAF games, a move that lifts the financial burden off the associations.
But the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has ten the calendar change with a pinch of salt with General Secretary Ponga Liwewe saying this matter needed further deliberation to check it would benefit the Zambia clubs.
The matter to re-align the Zambian league has been a matter a protracted debate with certain quotas believing it was good to run with the rest of the world while others has argued that Zambian weather pattern differs from Europe’s.
Liwewe said yesterday that he was not comfortable with the suggested changes and that there was need to review the changes.
At a meeting held in Casablanca two days ago, the CAF approved proposals to change the calendar for club competitions with next season placed as a transitional one which will begin in December this year and end in May 2019 with a more rigorous application of the Club Licensing regulations.
The statement also said that in 2019, the cycle will run from September to May of the following year.
But Liwewe suggested the realignments were made to conform to the changes in the hosting of the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON).
“We have to sit down and review these changes so that we know the implications that will follow,” he said.
On the payments of referees on continental duty, Liwewe said was straight about it saying this would reduce the financial burden on the national associations.
The CAF statement said that with effect from 2018, indemnities of referees designated for CAF matches would be paid by directly by CAF and that it was one of the fulfilled campaign promises of CAF boss Ahmad.
The statement said this decision would reduce the financial burden on national associations and also eliminate an ethical challenge as it removed the suspicion perceived between national associations and the referees.
“CAF has done a good thing by taking up this challenge because there were a lot of misconceptions about the payments,” he said.