The Zambian Premier League (ZPL) has suspended Makeni All Stars official Victor Kombe MJ Chinyanta from all football-related activities under its jurisdiction after issuing show-cause notices to him and the club over social media statements concerning match officials, Nkana FC and FC MUZA.
In a letter addressed to the Makeni All Stars C.E O accessed by the ZamFoot Crew, ZPL Chief Executive Officer Joseph Chimpampwe said the league had taken note of three Facebook posts attributed to Chinyanta, which allegedly questioned the integrity and impartiality of match officials.
The first post, published on 10 October 2026, allegedly suggested that Nkana FC was favoured by referees, while two posts published on 18 October concerned match officials following Makeni All Stars’ fixture against FC MUZA.
According to the letter, one of the posts accused the officials of being “anti Makeni”, while another allegedly attributed a penalty awarded to MUZA to “privilege” linked to “the president” and an upcoming election.
The league said the statements appeared to breach Rules 2.10.2, 2.10.4 and 9.4.1 of the ZPL League Rules and Regulations for the 2023/2024 season, as well as Articles 53(1), 53(3) and 57 of the FAZ Disciplinary Code of 2021.
“Mr Chinyanta and the club are each required to show cause, in writing, why disciplinary action should not be taken,” Chimpampwe stated in the letter.
Both parties have been given until 17:00 hours on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, to submit their responses.
The league warned that failure to meet the deadline would not halt the proceedings, stating that “the matter will proceed on the information available”, in accordance with Article 111(4) of the FAZ Disciplinary Code.
Makeni All Stars have also been directed to clarify whether the statements attributed to Chinyanta reflect the club’s official position.
“The club is further required to state, in its response, whether the statements made by Mr Chinyanta represent the club’s official position on the matters raised,” the letter reads.
Chinyanta suspended with immediate effect
The ZPL has imposed an immediate suspension on Chinyanta while the disciplinary proceedings are underway.
“Under Article 53(4) of the Disciplinary Code, Mr Chinyanta is suspended from all football-related activity under the auspice of ZPL with immediate effect while these proceedings are underway,” the statement said.
The league has further ordered the Makeni All Stars official to remove the posts and refrain from making additional public comments on the matter.
“He must remove the posts and make no further public comment on the matter,” Chimpampwe stated, citing Rule 10.2.1(g) of the league regulations.
The club has also been reminded of its potential financial responsibility should sanctions be imposed on its official.
“The club is reminded that it is jointly liable for any fines or sanctions imposed on its official,” the letter stated, citing Article 15(4) of the FAZ Disciplinary Code.
The ZPL has directed the club to serve Chinyanta with a copy of the letter without delay.
The matter remains at the show-cause stage, with the league seeking written explanations from both the club and its official before determining the next course of action. The letter does not specify what sanctions may ultimately be imposed.
