By CHINOYI CHIPULU
The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has directed Super Division side Prison Leopards to withdraw Dudley Fichite from the technical bench as he is serving a prison sentence.
Last week Zambia Correctional Services Commissioner General Chileshe Chisela announced that the attachment of Fichite to the Mwenya Chipepo-led technical bench.
In a letter dated January 7, 2021 addressed to the Prison Leopards secretary, FAZ General Secretary Adrian Kashala stated that the action to involve Fichite in FAZ organised football activities had the potential to bring the name of the game into disrepute and may deter other stakeholders especially sponsors from associating themselves to football activities.
Mr Kashala directed the club to avoid involving the aforesaid individual in any FAZ organised football activities to avoid the complications that may arise from this act.
Kashala said this in a statement made available by FAZ Communications Manager Sydney Mungala.
“We would appreciate that in future, your club should notify the Association before implementation of anything that you are not sure about so that we can give guidance in accordance with FIFA, CAF and FAZ statutes and regulations.”
In December 2018, Fichite, a former Green Buffaloes striker, was sentenced to life imprisonment for defilement and is currently serving his sentence at Mukobeko Maximum Correctional Facility in Kabwe.
Meanwhile, Kashala has expressed displeasure over the unsporting conduct of Prison Leopards coach Mwenya Chipepo, who has so far been sent off twice from the technical bench in the 2020/2021 football season.
“The latest one being during the game against Nkana Football Club which was watched by the FAZ President and some members of the FAZ secretariat, which was your Head Coach behave in an unsporting manner in contravention of Article 13(i) of the FAZ Constitution and if he continues to behave in the manner he did, the Association will have no option but to sanction the coach as provided for in Articles 14 and 15 of the FAZ Constitution,” Kashala stated.
