By Wami Katanga
ZESCO United have now officially filed an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over their disqualification from this year’s edition of the ABSA Cup.
The seven-time ABSA Cup winners and current holders confirmed their place in the competition after beating Zanaco 2-1 last month in their Week 17 MTN Super League only for the Zambian Premier League (ZPL) to strangely rescind their qualification.
The ZPL claimed to have erred in confirming Zesco’s qualification with their seventeenth and final match of the first round of the league as the criteria for qualification stipulates.
Instead, the league body ordered that the club would only confirm their qualification after fulfilling a reversed fixture against Mutondo Stars who Zesco lost by a 1-0 scoreline.
Prior to their appeal at CAS, Zesco are also reported to have filed a complaint over the matter at FAZ to which did not yield any satisfactory response.
After several social media debates over the elimination of Zesco from year’s ABSA Cup, a jury of renowned adjudicators of sports disputes will now seat to serve an objective ruling over the matter.
For now, the first round matches of the ABSA Cup are taking place in Kabwe while we wait and see the outcome and decision from Lausanne, Switzerland by CAS over Zesco’s appeal.
