By SANDRA MWILA and ADRIAN MWANZA –
LUSAKA Tigers players boycotted training demanding to be paid their outstanding dues ahead of today’s MTN-FAZ rescheduled Week 11 match against Red Arrows.
Meanwhile, Green Eagles coach Justin Chinama has been given a four-match ultimatum to turn around misfortunes at the club or face the sack.
The players shunned training for the past two days to air their grievances before resuming training yesterday.
Sources at the club told the Times that the players had quit training for two days to air the grievances of lack of salaries as they have been getting only K20 for transport.
But club media officer Clever Zulu said in an interview that the team had resumed training ahead of the Arrows game.
“We are playing tomorrow (today) everything is in place, we only had an administrative problem and it has been sorted out,” Zulu said.
Tigers, who have become draw experts have only two wins in 13 matches with seven draws, will be hoping to get three points when they face inconsistent Arrows, whom they share points with.
Arrows coach Matthews Phiri said he anticipated a tough match but that he has prepared his team for the encounter.
The other rearranged match will see Green Buffaloes take on Nakambala Leopards hoping for a win to move into third place on the table.
In Choma, Chinama’s ultimatum starts this weekend when his side hosts Tigers at the Independence Stadium. Eagles are 15th on the table with 12 points having played 13 games winning three, lost seven and drawn three matches.
Zambia National Service (ZNS) director of sports Matthias Banda said Chinama’s four game ultimatum has been ordered in a bid for the coach to improve the team performances.
Banda said the ZNS command has done everything possible in its powers to improve the team’s performance but that sadly their efforts had proved futile.
“We have tried to beef up the technical bench by hiring Manfred Chabinga to help Chinama with the team but this seems not to have improved the team’s standings on the log,” he said.
Banda said the club had in the past given Chinama ultimatums but that this was the final one which failure to perform will see the coach face consequences after four matches.