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| Africa |
| Zanaco protest to Caf on violence |
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by
Garry Chirwa, 26 April 2004
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17:13:38
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Ejected Caf Champions League Zambian ambassadors Zanaco have protested to the continent’s football governing body on the incident that occurred during Saturday’s game against Bakili Bullets at Chichiri Stadium in Blantyre where their coach Fightone Simukonda was attacked by fans after resisting Zimbabwean referee Joseph Musasa’s orders to march out of the ground.
But Bullets’ boss Hassam Jussab described the upshot as unfortunate insisting, Simukonda provoked the situation by turning a blind eye to the referee’s directive.
Football Association of Zambia’s (Faz) executive member Henry Sichembe, who was the leader of delegation, confirmed on Monday that the protest was done at midnight on the day of the game.
“I wrote a protest letter on behalf of the club as leader of delegation and I presented it to the match commissioner Mr Hamid Ali from Tanzania and it was also copied to Caf,” said Sichembe who is also disciplinary committee head for Faz.
The Zambian football official also said he is in the process of coming up with a comprehensive report on what happened during the fracas which will also be sent to Caf.
“Among other things, it will include a photo showing the coach’s injury, a medical report from Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital and a Police report...I must also mention here that it was difficult for us to obtain the Police report since they too were involved in the fracas,” added Sichembe.
He claimed that Zanaco have since established the identity of the man who head-butted Simukonda in the heat of the moment and that they expect Caf, Fam and Bullets to take serious action against him.
Quizzed on why Simukonda was defiant to the ref’s directive, Sichembe said: “The referee could not justify why he wanted him out. To begin with, what did he do to justify expulsion from the bench?”
Sichembe claimed that the move was just a technical ploy to cool off the tempo of the game.
“And if I may ask is it the responsibility of the Police and fans to get the coach out of the stadium...how did they come in? And to add on to that, the match commissioner was restricted from entering the pitch to get the full understanding of the situation, is it normal?” wondered the Zambian official.
The Faz executive member added: “It was quite disappointing for the fans to behave in the manner they did knowing very well that we accorded them 100 percent hospitality in Lusaka.
“The incident, though unfortunate, does signify why matches should not be played at Chichiri Stadium because there is no adequate security. The free entry gesture by President Bakili Muluzi could have been done in good faith but it was abused by the fans, thereby showing disrespect to their sponsor.
“However, I should conclude by thanking Fam and Sulom for the very best they did. To Bullets, I can only say we wish them well as they proceed in the competition but we hope they will address the disciplinary issue. I would also like to thank management of Victoria Hotel for being so good to us,” concluded Sichembe.
But, while condemning the assault on Simukonda, Jussab said the Zanaco coach has himself to the blame for provoking the situation.
“We are not condoning violence but our feeling is that Simukonda provoked the situation by refusing to march out. He also beat up a policeman who fell down in the process and it is not fair to conclude that the fan who beat Simukonda was from our camp.
“When one is given marching orders and is resisting, the ref has got authority to seek the indulgence of the Police or security personnel where they may use reasonable force in the process. It was in the process of his resistance that the fracas started,” explained Jussab.
He also said Bullets are in the process of writing a letter to Caf to clarify the issue.
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