DON’T LIMIT FOREIGN PLAYERS YET - CHITUNDU

ZAMBIA’s first FIFA accredited soccer agent, Chiti Chitundu has added a new dimension to the debate on foreign player quota, saying Zambia had not yet reached the stage of limiting foreign players in the league. Chitundu, however, suggests that FAZ instead needed to set the bar high by only allowing in those that have had represented their national teams. He noted that the quota was not the main priority but that the quality of players in the league was, hence the need to structure the influx of foreign players on the quality they brought to the league. Chitundu said clubs in the Zambian league only needed to sign for foreign players that had represented their respective countries at either junior or senior national team levels. “I know people who are saying that the high number of foreign players is diluting the quality at the National Team but I think that the quota is not the main issue here but the quality in the local league. So I think clubs must just say all players they sign must have at least played in the under 20 or senior national team in their respect countries then you are going to be assured of quality,” Chitundu said. “Those are the things that FAZ must be working on to say if a player comes, he must have represented in the National team and not limit the number of players.” Chitundu said the local league was at a stage where it still needs to be marketed and local clubs needed to do more for the country to solely depend on local players. Chitundu noted that clubs still needed to play at the highest levels of football such as reaching the finals of the CAF champion’s league and that could only be done with a mix of foreign players who bring in quality. He noted that the onus was also on local league coaches to ensure that what they were getting was of quality unlike just getting any other player which also ended up putting their jobs at stake. FAZ recently hinted that they were considering limiting the number of foreign players in the Zambian league.