Zesco epitomise rise of Zambian football
MAMELODI Sundowns may have other ideas, but Zesco United could add another fillip to Zambian football should they secure a place in the CAF Champions League final this weekend at the expense of the SA side. Sundowns must overturn a 2-1 deficit to deny Zesco a place in next month’s final, when the sides meet in Atteridgeville on Saturday for the semifinal second leg (Lucas Moripe Stadium, 7.30pm).
But whatever happens, the Zesco story of confounding critics and reaching this stage after credible victories over the likes of Al-Ahly, Asec Mimosa and possibly Sundowns, epitomises the rise of Zambian club football.
No longer are the teams from SA’s neighbouring country getting into continental football merely to add the numbers.
According to Ponga Liwewe, the secretary-general of the Football Association of Zambia, the local game in the country has improved mainly because it is now receiving the recognition it deserves. “We now have matches on television. Previously, it was not the case,” he said, after broadcaster SuperSport signed a deal with the FAZ to show live domestic matches.
That deal, according to Liwewe, attracted much-needed financial corporate backing for most of the local teams, including Zesco.
“The clubs now can attract players from outside this country. We’ve had players from DR Congo, Kenya and other parts of Africa. The salaries are also improving. The TV deal has opened the market because companies can advertise on the front of the teams’ kits.”
This has forced Zambian teams to professionalise their management structures instead of using people employed elsewhere to run their administration. Zesco, which is owned by the Zambia Electricity Authority, for instance, was administered by people employed in the power utility on a caretaker basis. “That’s not the case anymore because they (Zesco) realised a football club must stand on its own,” Liwewe said.
SuperSport are in the process of expanding their offices in Lusaka, with a new studio being built, which would provide them with the capacity to help grow the Zambian game. The national team is also in the process of rebuilding, with Gordon Igesund set to be named as coach ahead of next month’s World Cup qualifiers, where they are drawn against Algeria, Cameroon and Nigeria.
Zesco, meanwhile, arrive in the country today for Saturday’s match.
“The TV deal has opened the market because firms can advertise on kits