THERE is some debate in the Zambian football circles whether FAZ should go ahead with its planned increase in the number of Super Division teams from the current 18 to 20.
The decision is expected to be passed during the extraordinary annual general meeting slated for Government Complex in Lusaka this Saturday.
The proposal is part of a number of amendments to the FAZ constriction that councillors are expected to ratify.
The fans are exited at the prospects of having 20 teams in the top league – more games to choose from they say. But is it the best thing that will happen to Zambian domestic football?
In the last two decades or so Zambian football has struggled to scout for proper sponsorship that can make the league a viable enterprise. Since the privatisation on the mines [which sponsored most teams], most clubs have struggled to attract sponsorship.
Out of the current 18 Super Division teams, apart from Zesco United, Power Dynamos, Zanaco, Nkana and Forest Rangers, very few teams can brag of being well sponsored.
Fulfilling away league fixtures is a daunting task for most bottom ten clubs, yet FAZ wants to add more burdens by introducing two away more fixtures.
In a normal scenario, the increase in the number of teams in the top flight should benefit the clubs, but this will not be the case in Zambia because key components of league management have not yet been addressed.
The increase comes just under a year when we increased from 16 to 18 teams. I am yet find one club, just one to say if they gained anything from the 18 teams league that they didn’t gain in the 16 teams league.
If anything, it has been a burden on the clubs because the football association has not negotiated for any meaningful increase in terms of the sponsorship package with the main funders of the league.
An impact assessment should have been conducted to examine of what value the previous increase from 16 to 18 teams has brought to the local game before jumping to 20.
Has our game improved in terms of its competitiveness, have our teams gained reasonable revenue against what they put in, have we attracted new corporate partners that would want to complement the efforts of the existing ones?
If you have been following Zambian football the past year, the answer to the above questions is a categorical no, hence why the rush to 20? It is unfortunate that the people who are supposed to halt this provision appear to support it.
A number club officials and football administrators have been quoted in the local media supporting the proposed increase; this may bring more harm than good.
For now allow me to borrow late Denis Liwewe’s phrase “let’s wait and see.”
