The 2020/2021 season was a gift for Western Province Division 1 team whenever they were facing Celtic 08 as they were assured of 3 points and a 3-0 win without sweating for it.
The relegated side Celtic 08 who finished bottom of the table, went to give away all the 34 matches as walkovers, giving them -102 goal difference from the 3-0 defeats they were being handed from walkovers.
Many people talked about the team in different ways as to what is going on, some reports said the team is no longer in existence, for others it became a laughing matter, accusing them of being not serious with what they were doing.
How can a team that has a vision and is active go the whole season without kicking a ball in an official league match? Club secretary Mr. Mbao Mushumba cleared the air and explained to Zamfoot on a telephone interview the state of the club and what is on the ground.
Mushumba told the ZamFoot Crew an exclusive interview that his team could not meet the COVID-19 guidelines hence failing to fulfill fixtures.
“The club is active. It’s registered, everyone has cards and we are still affiliated with FAZ. But the only thing is you remember when the Corona Virus broke out, the guidelines, as a club we felt we could not meet the requirements as set by the Ministry of Health. We don’t have a stadium, our pitch is open, so we considered those guidelines and we felt it ourselves that we were not ready by then because we can’t meet those requirements as directed by FAZ and the government,” He said.
He further went on to explain the step the club took when they saw that they were unable to compete in the league during the 2020/2021 season.
“Myself leading a club as secretary, we had written to FAZ telling them our position until such a time when our situation stabilizes, we will inform them. But the unfortunate part is FAZ never responded officially. As we wrote to them officially but they did not consider our concerns. They just sent to me a typed message via email, something we don’t consider because we expected to receive an official letter that has to be signed and share with my colleagues. So, we still feel FAZ hasn’t yet responded. Because we considered life and our financial standard to meet the requirements. You can see those zeros, but on paper, there is communication to FAZ.”
Mushumba believes the team will come back stronger next season with the resources they have managed to gather so far.
“The club is alive. Yes, on the table we have been relegated, but we will still win. We may even play Division 1 because others will sell their slot, as at now we are ready to compete for next season. Wherever we will play either Division 1 or Division 2, from the resources we have gathered, we will come back stronger. We will be on top of things and we will play all 34 matches. Because if you are to follow the rules, how many teams have given more than 5 walkovers? If we were to follow that, only a few teams could have survived, the league in Western Province could have died a long time ago.”
Regarding which competition they are prepared and ready for, the Secretary is confident that his side can compete at any level from their preparation.
“But in all, even from amateur, we are ready to start from there. We are ready to play in any league and come with full force to show everyone how football is organized, not just kicking. We are ready to start from anywhere. We will continue developing football in our province. Will give you more update on how we are progressing. We are back now,” Mr. Mushumba concluded.
