23/03/2025
GUEST ARTICLE
USING DIVISION TO DEMONISE THE SUCCESS IN OUR FOOTBALL IS DIVISION ITSELF
BY CLIFFORD MULENGA.
Football is a sport for everyone. It has no age, colour, tribe or language.
There are no camps in football but teams. People with the same vision and interests will always come together and those that fall out will always be rivals. It's very healthy to have competitors. The trouble starts when others perceive themselves as enemies and declare themselves saviors against a devil that does not exist.
Divisions in football are created by those who seek greater influence that align with their own personal ambitions and dreams.
Divisions are created by those who feel left out of the system that runs the game, and their outmate goal is a place in the system.
Any association in the world can only succeed with the right players. No amount of investment in infrastructure, club budgets, coach education, etc. can make an association successful if the right players are not there.
Perfect examples are countries like China, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, they have invested heavily in their football but always fall short when it comes to football success.
So let us not fool each other with promises of success when Zambia already has success in football. Yes, we can do more, and that more is being done right now, and is happening, and the fruits of good leader and hard work are there for everyone to see.
The questions we need to ask ourselves are being ignored because some people want to claim divisions in football, which isn't true.
Using division to demonise the success in our football is division in itself.
Let us also look at the people who crying about divisions in our game.
Let us promote the beautiful game and the success.
I speak as a concerned citizen who loves football and has been a part of Zambian football for over 20 years.
*The Author is a Former Zambian Football International who participated at Multiple AFCON Tournaments.
He also won the 2007 CAF young African Footballer of the year award following his exploits at the FIFA Under 20 and African Youth Championship.
Platinum News | March 23, 2025.