UPS AND DOWNS: CITY OF LUSAKA ARE AS GOOD AS RELEGATED
City of Lusaka have been relegated to Division One zone One with six games still to play, just a season in the Super League after being promoted.
The Woodlands Stadium outfit who played their week 26 rescheduled game, lost 4-1 to Zesco United on Sunday afternoon which leaves them on 15 points after 32 games. City have 6 games to play and they will have to win all their games with high scoring results and hope Nchanga Rangers lose all their games to survive. Any draw that Nchanga Rangers collects will confirm City of Lusaka demotion.
City of Lusaka go straight to Zone One just after a season and the team’s faithful will be disappointed especially that the team had gained so much recognition and support from Vodafone and other stakeholders that would have been desperate to see the team survive relegation.
City of Lusaka last participated the Super League in four straight seasons from 2007 to 2010 when they were relegated and this will be their shortest stint in the top flight league.
CITY OF LUSAKA 2017 RECORDS
It concludes a disastrous season for the Lusaka outfit which began with just 11 registered players for the first league and by week 32 the team has only won 3 games, drew 6 and lost 23. They have scored 25 goals and allowed a massive 60 goals.
WHICH OTHER TEAMS JOIN CITY OF LUSAKA IN DIVISION ONE?
The race to survive relegation remains as close as ever, with Real Nakonde likely to join City of Lusaka – who are five points above City of Lusaka but 7 points adrift of Konkola Blades, Mufulira Wanderers , Nchanga Rangers and Kabwe Warriors are the immediate three teams in danger of that relegation battle looking for two candidates to join City of Lusaka and Real Nakonde.
But Green Eagles and Nakambala Leopards will have to get a couple of wins to stay safe from getting into the relegation battle if the three teams below them continue gaining points.
LOOKING BACK AT HISTORY
Before the 2010 season the year City of Lusaka was semofed , you have to go back to 2003 another year the popular Lusaka team saw red and got demoted from the Super League alongside Lusaka Dynamos, Prison Leopards and Roan United.
A season before that in 2002, City of Lusaka finished 11th in the 16 team league after gaining promotion in 2001. They managed to stay in the league.
You then have to get back to 1998, anothee year City of Lusaka was relegated alongside Lusaka Dynamos, Ndola Wanderers and Ministry of Finance which later was bought of by the current Red Arrows.
City of Lusaka had survived relegated in 1997, 1996 and 1995 and remember this followed their promotion to the Super League in 1994.
SO ARE THEY BOUNCING BACK
City of Lusaka are gone to Division One and if FAZ do not get to the proposed National Division One which is on the table awaiting approval from teams then City of Lusaka will be playing in Zone One which consists of Eastern and Lusaka Province. Not an easy zone to qualify from but always has favourite of Lusaka teams making it. They will face competition from Lusaka City Council, Wonderful and Paramilitary this coming season.
With good preparations and keeping up the sponsors that the team has managed to gather, We can see them bounce back for the 2019 season but it has go start from a very good and not divided executive committee which without a doubt carry the blame for this team’s failure to survive.
SUMMARY
The 1964 champions of the Super League are demoted and the summary for the 2017 season is a very bad season for City of Lusaka which is clear that poor administration of Clubs is a serious recipe for demotion. The infighting at the start of the season is the reason we won’t have City of Lusaka in the 2018 Super League Season
