Zambia: Let’s Unite for the Sake of the Game, Urges Seedat

27 April 2011

A FORMER football player has bemoaned the declining soccer standards in Zambia attributing it to among others poor administration and has since implored the two Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) executives to unite for the development of the game.

Former national team midfielder Mohammed Seedat said in an interview in Lusaka yesterday that it was saddening to note that football standards in the country had dwindled over the years.

“The standards of football have really gone down over the years and that is the reason why stadiums today are hardly filled up compared to how it used to be in the past,” Seedat said.

He attributed poor administration of the game as being one of the contributing factors to the falling standards of the nation’s and world’s most popular sport.

He advised the warring FAZ factions led by Kalusha Bwalya and Andrew Kamanga respectively to put their differences aside and join forces as the only solution to resolving the wrangles which have rocked the association.

“Let them sort out the mess. It would be better if they put their heads together and see the way forward because they both want to run FAZ,” Seedat said.

The former Zanaco, City of Lusaka and Lusaka Dynamos player also cited lack of nurturing of players at a tender age, reduction of football matches in schools and using players with incorrect ages as some contributing factors to the falling soccer standards.

He observed that players playing in the Premier League teams had lost the respect which used to be accorded to them during his time as most of them were recruited without going through several stages, hence failing to perform according expectations.

The 38-year-old, who has since retired from active football to venture into business, said there was need to nurture players from as early as 10 years saying by doing so, they would be developed into good players as they grew older.

“I have an eleven-year-old son who plays football. I hope he carries on my footsteps,” said Seedat, who these days now plays social football on weekends.

Seedat said there was also need to train and re-train coaches in football-related courses besides pumping in more money in the game.

Asked if he would take up any coaching job once offered, Seedat said he would not accept the offer unless he underwent training, adding that being a player did not necessarily guarantee one becoming a better coach.

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