By MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –
NDOLA United is enraged with the decision by the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) Appeals Committee to order the club to play a Division One North Week 21 fixture against city rivals Gomes tomorrow.
The Appeals Committee last week threw out Ndola United’s appeal against the Disciplinary Committee decision which ruled that the match between the two rivals be rescheduled to November 4.
The match in question was supposed to have been played on August 2 at Ndola Wanderers but was put off owing to lack of security as Gomes Haulage Limited, the proprietors of Gomes football club, were hectic schedules that included hosting of the Zambia Motor Sport Association (ZMSA) Nsobe national rally that was staged in Masaiti.
Ndola United has since declined to play the match with club chairperson Bruno Mukeya saying the Ndola City Council (NCC) outfit has been unfairly treated.
According to a letter availed to the club’s executive committee by FAZ general secretary George Kasengele and obtained by the Times, the Appeals Committee which tabled the matter on November 25 upheld the Disciplinary Committee’s ruling and resolved that the match be played tomorrow.
“The FAZ Appeals Committee hereby upholds the decision of the Disciplinary Committee to have the game rescheduled. It is ordered that the game should be played on 5th December, 2015 at the home ground of Gomes FC. Further, Gomes FC is advised to provide adequate security for this game,” read the letter.
Mukeya said the report by referee Leah Namukonde, who was supposed to officiate the match, was very clear and that FAZ should have ruled on the matter based on the precedent set in the past.
“It is very surprising that we have been ordered to play this match tomorrow, way after the 2015 soccer season is over. As a club, we feel it is not fair for FAZ to rule in favour of Gomes, who should have been the ones to be punished for failing to fulfil a fixture,” Mukeya said.
He said Ndola United was last season docked points after failing to fulfil the fixture against Chindwin Sentries and a similar ruling should have applied in Gomes’ matter.