NICE to see the Barclays Cup semifinal line-up complete and it has the usual faces which are all Super Division sides.
Zesco United, Napsa Stars, Zanaco and Lusaka Dynamos have all made it to the last four of Zambia’s only cup competition with the first two having won it before.
Shame that all Division-One teams have all been kicked out thus far. The fans would have liked to see the smaller teams keep fight on.
The two Division-One teams that made it to the quarters after getting out of the pre-quarter-final play-off really did impress but got knocked out eventually by the bigger boys of the elite division.
I have said it before that there is need to alter the format of the Barclay Cup a bit to see the Division-One sides go straight to play Super Division side in order to enhance excitement from the fans.
Clearly the fans would go for the smaller sides and this will definitely generate the interest and talk that the sponsors would want from the competition.
Unfortunately, the Division-One sides are made to compete in play offs before earning a right to play the Super League sides.
I feel the system of play-offs that come in the Barclays Cup can come at the end of the season to be played by the respective Division One league winners which can be turned into a competition of its own to determine who the real Division One Champion are.
Either the FAZ can look for a different sponsor for that play off or Barclays Bank Zambia can take it up themselves.
To Kitwe United and Kabwe Youth Academy, well done for the decent show against the big boys and it shows really that the gap between the two league is not as big as previously looked at where sides being promoted get a return ticket right back to Division-One.
Hope the Division One Play-Offs can become a reality.
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And talking about Division-One, it would be good that FAZ clearly spells out the promotion and relegation issues for the lower division sides or what their plans are if there is going to be any change.
It would be better these matters are discussed and decided well ahead of time instead of waiting for the last minute. The last two seasons have seen teams in the top flight increased at the end of the season which is not right.
Teams that were relegated at the end of one season get to maintain their top flight positions at a FAZ Congress days before the new season starts. The better way is to increase or reduce the numbers with at least a season in between.
So already, I have heard that there are plans to streamline Division One from the four leagues to one Nationwide Division. This may see teams relegated to Division-Two despite finishing well this season.
Let teams know what they are fighting for from the beginning and suffer the brunt of failure to reach their goal so they don’t survive out decisions coming four months in the new year.
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