Zesco United’s talented Midfielder Cletus Chota Chama has joined Egyptian Club Ittihad Alexandria, signing a three and half year contract effective january 2017. Chama’s Contract with the Zambian giants will expire in december hence his joined as a free agent.
The question on everyone’s lips, Is this the best Club for Zambia’s most creative player and one of the best on the continent?.Well it depends on how one looks at it.
The club has been known for having a bad reputation when it comes to player management and meeting Contractual Obligations .Felix Katongo, Patrick Ngoma,Umedi Ukuri and recently Samuel Nlend all had a falling out with the Club.
Felix Katongo Joined the Club in june 2014 after Signing a 3 year deal but just a year into the Contract he called it quits after the club failed to meet its contractual obligations. The Club however, took him to FIFA and demanded for about US $1million earlier this year. After months of the process dragging on he was finally cleared in July to play for local out-fit Green Buffaloes.
Katongo and Ethopian Umedi Ukuri had not been paid for close to four Months. This is what prompted the two to leave the Club. Katongo had to bring the family back to Zambia cause of the situation.
“I left Egypt because they were not paying me.
They first owed me for four months and I had
my family with me in Egypt. I brought my family to Zambia in December and went back in
January…my last game was against Al Ahly in
February and still they were not paying me, that is why I left,” Katongo told the Zambia Daily Mail early this year.
Patrick “Dudey” Ngoma had a similar scenario with the same club as they failed to meet his contractual Obligations. He returned to Zambia in April and has now joined Red Arrows.
The worst story to come out of Ittihad this year was that of Samuel Nlend. The Cameroonian Striker was sacked by the Club barely four days after signing a 3 year deal with the Club. Nlend tested HIV Positive which is not against any FIFA rule but the Club has the last say. As that was not enough the Club had to announce the reason why the cancelled his contract on Twitter and make his HIV status public.
They say the third time is always a charm hopefully that is the case with Ittihad as Africa needs “Triple C” to keep Improving and doing what he does best in order to get Africa to where it truly belongs. For that to happen he has to be kept happy and Ittihad has to keep their end of the deal.
