A pilot test is a small preliminary study conducted to ascertain feasibility, cost, duration, and adverse events of the project with the view to improve it before introducing it more widely. It is used to test the design of the full-scale scope to ascertain where it needs adjustments as it gives insight as it incapacitates the critic component which is the feasibility study.
The main aim is to rule out risks before the project is implemented. It is not a day thing, it requires a couple of trials and days. Albert Einstein said, “ insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”.This means, at times we need to examine ourselves and see where can improve
Life is a precious and most valuable gift as the saying goes coupled with a popular notion that life cannot be bought hence the need to safeguard it more jealously. The covid-19 pandemic has taught people how to make bold health decisions because of not putting their health at risk. World health organizations and other relevant health authorities have warned that the virus may not go away any time soon, stressing out the need to learn, how to live with it as it will be the new normal.
The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the economical activity and growth for every organization and country can easily be noticed as it has greatly affected the financial status. According to world bank forecasts, the global economy will shrink by 5.2% this year representing the deepest recession since the second world war with the international monetary fund stating that more than a third of African countries are either in debt distress or are approaching it, this simply explains how great the effects of the pandemic are.
Sports have been greatly affected as well with the report aired in March this year on Aljazeera saying almost 100,200 football clubs could go bankrupt due to the pandemic. This now explains the need to strategically find solutions to keeping football clubs alive and active with few financial constraints.
Covid-19 is here to stay and if it means going then it is not now. To help already financially exhausted Zambian football clubs, FAZ with the ministry of health should sit down and iron out the solutions to allow clubs to start generating revenues from gate takings. It has been shown already that some Zambian clubs have been finding it difficult already to manage their wage bills.
Nkana were reported to FIFA for failure to pay two of its players’ arrears with FIFA in return invoking a ban on Nkana to buy players for two seasons unless they settle the dues only for the President of Republic of Zambia Edgar Lungu to come to their rescue and bailing them out which was also the case with Lusaka dynamos who were banned by FIFA for failure to pay a player his arrears not until recently when the ban was lifted after reaching to an agreement with the player. Some of these problems have solutions, here is how.
Let’s take the case of Nkana, they owed Stephen Adams a Ghanian goalkeeper USD28,000 for breach of contract, and at the same time, they owed their former captain Walter Bwalya USD32,000 which together adds up to USD60,000 translating to K1,200,000 at an exchange rate of USD1-K20. Nkana stadium the famous chilata is a 20,000 capacity and they charge no less than K20 per match and fans always troop in numbers to the stadium as they have a bigger fan base hence the name likulu, now if K20 plus VIP charges were multiplied by 20,000 fans it will equal to K400,000 money collected from gate takings per match this simply means it would have taken 3 homes matches for Nkana to pay both players their dues to avoid a ban and protect the integrity of the club as they are fondly known as likulu(big one). This can also apply to Lusaka dynamos.
The cost of hosting a much are so exorbitant, hiring an ambulance per hour is almost K10,000 then 2 hours is K20,000 as it is mandatory per CAF and FIFA guideline to have an ambulance in the stadium in case of an emergency, a club must also pay match officials a sum of almost k5000, a team like Lusaka dynamos using a stadium like heroes with a standby genset in case power goes which uses almost 100 liters per hour of fuel which can cost k3,200 for 2 hours plus the cost for a camping hotel which is close to k30,000 multiplied by 2 nights clubs usually spend at various hotels the cost is k60,000, so roughly club spend close over K100,000 per week now when you even put salaries for players for a team like Zesco United which has players who pocket more than k60,000 per month some for the whole month translating to k1,000,000 plus other expenses it will be found that it spends K1,500,000 in a month. These are not exaggerated figures, they are real figure which most Super League clubs post on their budget, Football is a very expensive venture.
Now how is a club like Kitwe United who doesn’t have sponsors with big financial muscle and only relies on council revenues going to cope up with such expenses? they will be faced with many challenges and eventually failing to pay their players salaries with the ending result being a ban from FIFA and many will suffer from this especially players as they will have nowhere to go thereby bringing poverty to their families as they depend on football to feed their homes.
This is now where FAZ has to take this issue seriously by having more consultative meetings with the Ministry of Health to try and seek a better win-win solution for the best of football and all others involved because if it will take longer to address this issue then clubs will run bankrupt.
FAZ and the ministry of health should do a pilot project by allowing few fans at each match venue to see where they need to improve and what is needed to be done before fans are fully allowed to the match venues. A pilot project is a way to go as lives are involved in football and there’s covid-19 at hand hence the need for a cautious approach to avoid any lives being lost. We don’t want to see a situation where flood gates are opened where all people are allowed to go to match venues as this will pose a danger and the chances of losing lives will be there. As earlier alluded to, a pilot project is not a one-day thing. It requires a couple of days and matches, so the time is now to start it. It is not early or late, Covid-19 cases have now reduced in Zambia hence the need to try and get things back to normal slowly should begin.
Our friends in the western world which were greatly hit with the pandemic have started the pilot tests, one good example is a match which involved Patson Daka and Enock Mwepu in Austria. A UEFA champions league home match for Redbull Salzburg against Lokomotiv Moscow which ended in a 2-2 draw had close to 4,000 fans in attendance. Zambia can also follow suit and do the same.
For a stadium like Nkoloma, a home ground for Red arrows with a capacity of close to 15,000 why not let them allow 30% fans of the total stadium capacity which is 5,000 fans. This will at least give FAZ, the ministry of health, and the club the scope of what needs to be done to make sure everything gets back to normal, they will have a feasibility study to ascertain the cost and measures needed to put in place before fully allowing fans.
It is not the cry of the fans as they have no problem because they can watch the games from home on supersport channels and they are not so much affected. It is the cry from the club, they cannot and they won’t cope up with the expenses as their sponsors have also been affected by the economical effects of the covid-19 pandemic hence they won’t be able to sponsor them the way they used to.
Charity shield would have provided a good platform for this pilot test but failed to capitalize on it and this calls for serious consideration over this matter as time is moving very fast.FAZ and the government should hear the cry from the clubs. Everything in Zambia is and has almost returned to normal now why should football fail to do the same.
As earlier alluded to, they will be no competitive football if this issue of not having fans in the stadium continues, the Zambian super league has many professional footballers and it is ranked 7th in Africa. Zambian clubs also participate in the CAF club competition where they earn good sums of money which contributes to the growth of our economy.
If the clubs run bankrupt, get banned and the league ceases to be competitive were will be more than 10,000 people involved in it going to find new sources of income, were will the money which these clubs pocket by participating in CAF club competition which contributes to the growth of the economy going to come from. These are serious concerns that people in higher offices need to look into and make formal decisions.
Let it be a win-win situation for everything. As all other things are getting back to normal, football should also be allowed to get back to normal amid the new normal not it remaining behind. Everything should be done in the interest of everyone. It is hoped that this cry will be addressed as soon as possible.
