Chipolopolo striker Winstone Kalengo was paid USD70,000 (Approximately K700,000.00) as sign on fee and will be paid about USD10,000.00 per month by Congo Brazaville side AC Leopards.
Zesco United FC disclosed this in reaction to comments by Chipolopolo team manager Lusekelo Kamwambi who condemned the move.
Zesco who have come under fire and castigated for not showing ambition after failing to keep the 2015 Zambia footballer of the year as they head into Champions League games stated that they offered Kalengo an improved ‘foreign players’ contract and permanent employment but the striker turned this down for a move abroad.
Zesco have also castigated Chipolopolo team manager Kamwambi and asked FAZ to tame his mouth.
Below is the full statement from issued by Zesco United FC.
REF: LUSEKELO KAMWAMBI’S OUTBURST
Zesco United would like to express its disappointment in National Team manager Lusekelo Kamwambi’s outburst on the transfer of striker Winston Kalengo to AC Leopards of Congo Brazzaville as reported in today 03rd January,2016 editions of the Sunday Mail and Sunday Times of Zambia.
This is not the first time Kamwambi in his capacity is rushing to the media to condemn Zesco United, last May he accused us of refusing to release players even when he knew we had midweek games to play.
As a club, we do not deal with Kamwambi in any correspondence because there are senior and higher offices that we communicate to at the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), in this case the issue of Kalengo’s transfer has been discussed with the General Secretary, George Kasengele and the President Kalusha Bwalya who have the knowledge about the transfer and the efforts the club put in to stop Kalengo from traveling.
The two senior FAZ officials have at no time rushed to the media to condemn neither the player nor the club, so to us Kamwambi’s outbursts are baseless and he seems to be talking about a deal he has no or little knowledge about.
The Club did not want to go in details of the Kalengo transfer but since Kamwambi has gone to the press, we will lay down the facts as follows;
Before Kalengo traveled to Congo, he was granted permission to go and negotiate his transfer by the National Team and Zesco United coach George Lwandamina and immediately the deal was finalized the first person he called was the coach.
The head coach then called ZUFC team manager Mabvuto Banda and requested that Kalengo be removed from the CAF list because he had signed a new contract.
Upon signing the one year contract Kalengo was paid about USD 70,000 as signing fee and was offered a salary of about USD 10,000, Kalengo then contacted the ZUFC to formalize his transfer since he had already made a decision to leave the club.
Prior to leaving, ZUFC had engaged Kalengo who had only two months left to his contract to revise his contract and add the following conditions;
-To give him a professional contract like foreigners at the club
-To give him permanent employment at Zesco Limited to sustain his future
Unfortunately both offers were turned down by Kalengo who said he wanted to look at other offers (from Saudi-Arabia which was only for four months and AC Leopards which he settled for) before making a decision, we wish to categorically state that no club from the South-African PSL or anywhere else gave Kalengo any offer.
It is quite surprising and disappointing that the National team technical bench led by George Lwandamina can condemn the Kalengo transfer when he travelled with the blessing and permission from the coach, it was in their power not to grant the player permission to travel for negotiations.
We wish to put it on record that as a club we put in our best negotiations with the player but unfortunately AC Leopards beat us to the conditions as the only consolation we had was to offer him permanent employment which he was not ready to take for now.
We hope that these utterances by Kamwambi do not have the blessings of FAZ because they have the capability of bringing the relationship of Zesco United and the Association in disrepute.
Kamwambi should realize that the club has come to the aid of FAZ at short notice because of the cordial relationship, for example Zesco has sacrificed the head coach to be at the National team while paying him his full salary and allowances as per his contract with the club and the use of the team bus and driver to transport visiting teams among other things.
We therefore feel undermined by the National team technical bench through Kamwambi’s utterances who should have just taken few steps to go to the coach’s room to get the full facts of the stated player transfer.
We wish to appeal FAZ to tame Kamwambi’s mouth as he is not the right person to be issuing statements on behalf the Association on matters he doesn’t understand on Zesco United. Kamwambi should learn to consult and get facts before running to the media to be seen as the intelligent one.
It is such people that are dragging the name of FAZ in the mud with their excitement.
We wish to thank the FAZ President Kalusha Bwalya and General secretary George Kasengele for handling the matter professionally and we hope to continue working cordially in the year 2016.
Issued Jointly by
Justin Mumba – Club General Secretary
Katebe C Chengo (Ms) – Club Media Officer
Limbi he had a move for the player. We know in Zambia everyone is an agent
Anyone is free to choose which company to work for as long as he/she has no other running contract, period. What has Zesco got to do with Kalengos decision? No one will look after his family, so please let us leave him alone and leave Zesco out of this matter. Kalengo will be available during important games
Thnaks
zesco i hop u hv also leant a lession, next tym wen signing pros thik of yo stars first
This is a lot of money for Kalengo. If thats the case, let him go and make this money. It’s good for him and his family. Football is a short career.
Mr Kafusha sir, long time & good to see that you are vibrant.I totally agree with you.why cant Kamwambi let Kalengo excell at his new club or he want a cut out of deal
Even me, i can go.Even if i become a bench warmer,i wouldn’t care much.K100,000 X 12.
We all know kalengo is over 30 and any club that will offer him that no one has the right to say he has joined a rubish team
if zesco couldn’t offer him that ..Iwe chikamwambi nakalufumo nendalama shakwiba mu faz just keep quiet
let an old man make some money for his family and future
On the other hand zesco has a lot of money we pay for electricity why can’t they be more professional and and treat every player with decency …If they can offer that to foreign players why can’t they do that to their own..
ati we offerd him a permanent job
what type of that job?maybe yakupunga tea..that’s why kalengo refused
Kalegoal will be U S$190,000 richer come January next year my question is ,will Zesco be willing to sign him back should the Congolese side wish not to renew his contract,granpa is just trying to secure his future and that is a lot of money even by. Zambian standards just come and invest in ma yard properties even if it just costs you two better tha buying spacious as Texis mind you now every Jim and jack will be very anxious to know what’s up with kalegoal..
Just come and buy two houses in kabulonga one you occupy and the other put on rent with your discipline that is very attainable,good luck granpa.
On the hand ,this Leopards team always makes it in the group stages of the Champions league, so who knows a bigger opportunity may come again for Kalengo.
Now Zesco needs to find another goal king like Winston.
Congrats Kalengo!It sometimes takes time and patience to build a player. Kalengo used to miss one clear chance after the other and one could argue that he cost Zesco in previous continental competitions.
Thank God coaches are not like us fans who easily get fed up with a player.They can indeed look beyond what they see and help the player reduce the flaws and reach his full potential.
By watching players like kalengo improve their game and became dependable players even at national level,I have learned to be slow in writing off players because of present shortcomings in their game.
I have seen the previously serial missing Chris Katongo became BBC Africa footballer of the year.
Coaches indeed have different eyes and hearts!
Spot on Boss us fans we have written off Feston Mbewe, Mwape and that Patson Daka boy but am surprised how coaches depend on these players. These players have a part in the game that we fans dont know and cant even appreciate. Now Kalengoal is banging in GOALS he is on everyone’s lips
Well said brotherman
It is a step forward in a right direction. Soccer is a short career. Enjoy it. Hard working is key better than PSL Sundowns, which can pay more than $10,000. And kill your career.
This is personal ability don’t feel jealous let him go.If he will fail Kamwandi will never keep him.
All the best. But let him be available for national duties.
Kamwambi must just keep quiet and FAZ should fire such people like this fat albert who only kill our game without adding any value!!CONGRATS KALENGO!!$10 000 A MONTH IS A LOT OF MONEY!!
Lusekelo kamwabe was just expressing his opinion our clubs like zesco zanaco power dynamo and nkana should have ambitions.kalengo has been at zesco almost for five years now up to now he has no permanent job what shame so zesco stop blaming kamwabi it true you have no ambitions
Our clubs and players like ambitions kalengo should have been offered a permanent job at zesco long time not now.kamwabi was right on this one
You do not want to lose important players at an hour like this, both for National and club commitments, so, Kamwambi is right to say Zesco Utd has no ambition to go further in the African Championship . But again,poverty has forced Kalengo to sign for this Congolese club without giving it a second thought, he is very right to fight for his future – for his family, and moreover he is in his later stages of his career. Let him go and make money.
It’s a loss for Zesco and Zambia too, if he loses form like we are told Alex Ngonga has, it bad for Zambia because we are playing Congo-Brazaville in two months time , but if he becomes prolific and his team meets Zesco on the way and it happens that Kalengo scores against Zesco to dump them out, it will definitely be very sad.
Off the topic
VETERAN coach Wedson Nyirenda says it is a sheer waste of resources to attach expatriate coaches to the national team if their work is not well documented for future reference. Commenting on the engagement of Chipolopolo assistant coach Irfan Kawri, Nyirenda said the past coaches attached to Chipolopolo should have tabulated their work as future guidance to other coaches. During the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, FAZ appointed Sergio Fentanes as the technical analyst and prior to the tournament, a Dutchman Nico Labohm was engaged to help with Chipolopolo’s qualifying campaign for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. “As coaches we should be availed with statistics and documentation of what the previous coaches did, if one was an analyst what were their observation. That way whoever comes will have a starting point, it will guide us. If that is not done, it will be a job in vain – a sheer waste of resources,” Nyirenda said. He, however, said Kawri’s expertise was welcome to Chipolopolo. “When you look at his (Kawri’s) expertise he is a physical trainer and scout, those two components are crucial to football, maybe that is why they selected him but if it is just ordinary coaching, we have capable coaches locally,” said Nyirenda who is currently coaching in Mozambique. FAZ have engaged Kawri to assist George Lwandamina in preparing the Chipolopolo for the African Nations Championship that kicks off on January 16 in Rwanda.
Kamwambi should just wish the boy good luck. You cant cry over spilt milk. We should nature other strikers and forge ahead as a country.
I agree that it’s a great move for Kalengo at this stage of his career. No team team in Europe can offer him better than that. I just hope these Leopards of Congo/Brazzaville deliver their side of the bargain (salary and conditions of service) despite all the economic challenges they face with the crumbling price of oil.
Kamwambi ni jealous muleke apangeko Anatole ekachulapo nakabili he is in the October of his carriar
Imwe nakula kalengo mulekeni he is left with only one to two years to play football this is his retirement please
Considering his age and the fact that it is in Africa, thats some good change for him and his family, let him cash in as Pa Zed they would not pay him that much. Good luck and don’t take the money to the tavern or ku ma hule but invest in some business as time is ticking on your playing career, good luck.
Mulekeni That What He Thought Was Good For Him And His Family.
I agree with the comment and the advise for Tc soccerman.good lucky Kalengo.