The Football Association of Zambia – FAZ has expressed concern over the conduct of some football clubs using unlicensed players by forging their Identity Cards and fielding them in the games.
FAZ General Secretary Adrian Kashala says players in three named football clubs had this week forged and fielded unlicensed players into the games in an effort to win which should not have been the case.
“I wish to advise that we had an unfortunate incident where unlicensed players were being fielded for league games. We have confiscated 10 forged cards from some clubs namely Real Nakonde FC and TAZARA Rangers and will continue to investigate. This type of conduct is highly disappointing and will not go unpunished. FAZ is on the ground and days are numbered for those teams in the habit of cheating,” he said.
Kashala stated that various offences have been committed both against the football rules and criminal acts such as peeling off the face of the player, fielding an ineligible player, fielding unregistered players and falsification of information.
The association has since called on clubs to closely examine Players Cards to ensure the correct image and watermarks are on the player cards. The association general secretary has also said that FAZ has received numerous complaints regarding poor officiating.
“We have also noticed with regret that complaints regarding poor officiating are not brought to the association but instead shared through social media. As FAZ we continuously evaluate the performance of referees, he said.
He added that the Referees Committee will be meet ping this weekend to deal with all the cases regarding poor officiating that have been formally presented.
