WHAT FASHION AND TODAYS ZAMBIAN PLAYERS CAN LEARN FROM UCAR ( THE FASHION DEBACLE)
By Puncherello Chama
In April 1975 the Great Godfrey ” Ucar” Chitalu was unceremoniously dropped from the Zambia National team.
This was after helping Zambia qualify for its first AFCON in 1974 which included a star performance against Nigeria in the qualifiers before the team reached the AFCON where Ucar scored against the Hosts Egypt.
Chitalu was also doing amazing things at Kabwe Warriors were he set a record in 1972 by scoring 107 goals in a season which is a world record that stands to this day.
He also secured a BIG Brand Ambassador deal with Union Carbide Batteries which was albig and became the reason why he was nicknamed UCAR after the batteries.
But fast forward to 1975 and Serbian Coach Ante Buselic unceremoniously dropped him.
There was uproar in the country as Zambian football fans demanded for Buselic to be sacked.
Even the Zambian Government got involved and tried to tell Buselic and FAZ then to change their minds but they didn’t.
White Ucar was a talented player Buselic had enough of his disruptive attitude in the team and refused to play him.
As long as Buselic was in charge Ucar wouldn’t play for Zambiam
Ucar would only return in 1977 when a Romanian Ted Virba would take charge.
We shall continue the Ucar story but now lets focus on Fashion.
- LEAKED AUDIO AND THE CONSEQUENCES
I dislike taking about individual players and prefer just sharing their positives but I think in this case its important to say the truth.
The sharing of the leaked audio to the public is wrong and in an organization its a disciplinary case and on some worst cases can lead to a summary dismissal.
Even at Club levelor outside of Zambia that’s a serious offence.
Whether its Fashion that shared the audio or not it will make it difficult for people who have phone conversations to have that trust.
- THE FOOTBALL POLITICS ANGLE
Some of the first people who received the audio and shared it are perceived football political opponents of the FAZ administration.
I can only imagine how some of the FAZ leadership felt about the association and its leadership being brought into disrepute.
The story that the FAZ President Andrew Kamanga is aware of Grant and Nir’s alleged Grand Corruption on the Zambia National team probably has not sat well with its leadership especially since no actual proof was forwarded in the audio besides it being the players word.
By Fashion sharing that audio with allegations against the FAZ President he has subtly engaged in football politics though I’m sure the player did so innocently.
This is the trickiest issue for him because the truth is that there maybe trust issues if and when he returns that he can leak National team issues.
Footballers should as much as possible avoid involving the elected football leadership in their disagreements because that can be perceived as politics by those in the positions.
- FOOTBALLERS SHOULD BE CAREFULL WHO THEY TRUST
At some point last year a female football player from the Copper Queens did an expose on what was happening in the background of the team.
But where is she now?
The people she trusted when she shared that expose don’t even post about her or share any information about her recovery.
She has been literally used and dumped.
Zambian Football players need to realize that the Zambian Football environment can be toxic at times and should keep away from the drama.
4 FASHION ON TEAM MATES
Fashion mentioned some of his Chipolopolo team mates in terms that may not make some of them happy.
The team mates are not mentioned by name so its open to interpretation which players specifically he is talking about.
He will really have to work to mend some bridges.
- FASHION IS A BIG BRAND BUT HIS ATTITUDE
Currently Fashion is one of if not the biggest brand not just in Zambian Football but in Zambian Society generally.
His football talent and his generosity interms of giving back to the community in Eastern Province sets him apart from most footballers.
Dare I say Fashions Brand is even bigger than FAZ because people will believe what he says over even FAZ.
In Local Lingual we can say that ” Ba FAZ bamachepa sometimes” as Fashion can take the limelight.
With that said Great influence comes with Great responsibility.
A few years ago Fashion angered many in the Zambian Football Media Fraternity while in Scotland when he said that Zambian Journalists and Football Bloggers were running a Propaganda Campaign against him and trying to blackmail him because he doesnt pay them to right positive articles about him.
This particularly hurt me because personally Ive passionately writted about Fashion from the days he was at Zanaco Fc and todate and so have many of other Zambian journalists and Bloggers.
But for him to lump everyone together was unfair and a lot of people were hurt especially that he never proved his allegation.
Then again recently he mentions a similar thing about the Zambia National team saying he doesn’t pay to play there which is something that has upset Grant whose integrity is now on the line and he ended up calling Fashion a liar.
Again in Grants case Fashion has forwarded no proof of his allegation other than his words.
Grant mentioned that he has left Fashion out of the team because of his attitude and hope Fashion can learn from that.
- NOT LISTENING
When Fashion and Sidney were talking you could see that Sydney just called to offer his young brother advise but Fashio kept on cutting him and was rude.
Fashion I feel should have listened to what Sydney had to say.
7 WE LOVE FASHION/ HOW UCAR CAME BACK
Fashion should know that many of us love him and what he has done to put Zambia on the Map.
that we may criticize his performance means that we would love for him to even get better.
He should also realise that he is not the first Zambian Star to be dropped as UCAR also endured a similar situation.
Now back to UCAR.
He was dropped for two years but learned from it.
If you read many Zambian Football Books youll discover that this was a time of great reflection for him.
The dropping helped him and he came back as a changed person.
He infact scored 36 goals which was an impressive goal tally for a player who had been away from International duty.
So its not over for Fashion and I believe he can learn from this experience.
Let FAZ and Grant reconcile with him and move on
Otherwise God continue blessing the works of our brother.