League Resumes With Roller-Coaster Weekend

This weekend saw the resumption of FAZ matches. At one point the Covid-19 pandemic threatened to derail the return to activity with stakeholders coming together to make last minute decisions on whether to proceed with each fixture.

Writing on the weekend’s activities FAZ President Andrew Kamanga wrote “It was quite a roller-coaster weekend but in the end it all turned good.”

Ahead of Sunday’s matches all players and staff for the four teams were tested. The results announced revealed that all Buildcon players tested negative. However, Power Dynamos and Zesco United had two players testing positive each. Those testing positive were isolated in accordance with guidelines provided by the Ministry of Health.  

“So it came to pass that the resumption of our league took off this weekend. It was not an easy undertaking that saw us flirt with the idea of abandoning the whole process. But the kind of crisis the world is currently going through does not require people that jump ship at the slightest sight of danger. After all, we have all been reminded of the challenges of living in the ‘New Normal’ order,” Kamanga explained.

“We were happy that everyone showed high levels of commitment to ensure that the return of our game is made a reality. The honourable minister of Sport Emmanuel Mulenga literally camped with us in Ndola with his staff, the National Sports Council of Zambia (NSCZ), club management and of course our hard working staff from the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ). I salute everyone involved that played a part especially the medics through the Ministry of Health, men and women in uniform who also came in handy to help us implement the many guidelines that have been given to us in order to effectively manage these games. We also have to give credit to the staff and management at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium for once again pioneering a very historic moment in our game,” he continued.

The ‘New Normal’ began with Police College beating Kitwe United 2-1 on Saturday in a historic match. The second match involving Forest Rangers and Zanaco did not go ahead as a result of some challenges that the Ministry of Health have since committed to clearing up. “Admittedly on this score we could have done better. But with this new experience it is expected that there will be challenges,” Kamanga commented.

“On the pitch players had to get used to the new demands of the ‘New Normal’ like the care not to carelessly spit with those on the bench spaced apart to keep with the social distancing demands,” he continued.

While the matches are being played behind closed doors SuperSport is covering the games live.

“The stands were expectedly empty with only a handful of media personnel, stadia staff and some health authorities. I would like to give credit to the fans for observing the stay at home call. Fans are the lifeblood of any football match but under the ‘New Normal’ we have to respect the rules given to us. Gratifyingly, the broadcast partner SuperSport is on board to fill the gap as they bring the action right in your living rooms. We salute SuperSport and the various media personnel that have stepped in to ensure that the public is well informed,” Kamanga wrote.

“Going forward, we are confident that we should be able to see out the remainder of the fixtures with strict adherence to the Ministry of Health guidelines. We have taken note of the gaps and will work round the clock to ensure that things get better going forward. We shall continue working hand in hand with the superintending minister which is the ministry of sports and their counterparts at health to ensure that we review the situation regularly. Through the Ministry of Health we have stepped up several measures including the testing mechanism that will ensure that all the teams meet this mandatory benchmark before playing any games. We implore the clubs to fully cooperate with the health authorities and ensure they observe all the guidelines,” he explained.