City of Lusaka may have just booked their one-way ticket to demotion with the sudden firing of Chris “Gaza” Tembo on Tuesday.
Mr Fix-it Gaza whose exploits during his turbulent reign at Nakambala Leopards for two seasons in the Super Division are well documented, has been replaced by Fewdays Musonda who his week also made dramatic exit at division one south club Lusaka City Council (LCC) by announcing his resignation via a phone call to his bosses at Civic Centre.
Hiring a third coach in 20 games tells you a lot of how the system at City works as they stay riveted at the bottom of the table in 16th place.
Gaza’s dismissal comes in the wake of a 2-0 away defeat to league leaders Nchanga Rangers on Saturday that saw City drop from 15th 16th on the table.
That defeat came on the back two successive wins for City; the first a 3-2 away win over fellow strugglers Lusaka Dynamos and the second a 1-0 convincing though gusty win over Red Arrows at Woodlands stadium that seemed to signal that Gaza’s team was turning the corner.
Under Gaza, City have won three of their four games the first also against Arrows in his first short two-match reign in April before he was demoted to be Alfred Lupiya’s assistant who was fired at the mid-season break after winning just one match from nine with four draws and as many defeats.
According to an insider, signs that Gaza’s days were numbered at Woodlands manifested prior to City’s trip to Chingola on Saturday when he was allegedly handed an alternative team list they believed will do better against leaders Rangers with 15 players traveling to the Copperbelt.
However, the opposite happened and City lost leaving Gaza as a scapegoat for the loss leading to is subsequent firing.
His replacement Fewdays is a brave man to have jumped from an almost financially secure job at LCC to cash-strapped City.
Moreover, while Fewdays is credited with steering Nkana to promotion last year before his unceremonious dismissal in Kitwe, his record at LCC has not been that glamorous.
LCC are perched in 11th place on 29 points from 23 games and 16 points behind leaders Nakambala Leopards.
On Saturday, Fewdays and City come face-to-face at Woodlands with Nkana under an inspired Linos Makwaza .
Nkana are enjoying good spell with two successive wins from three games in charge for Makwaza .
Fewsdays should pray he wins because victory for Makwaza at Woodlands will be a victory for the virtues of patience.
LT u are biased in yo report. The fact is Gaza Tembo has failed & so he deserved the boot! Congrats Few Days for yo new job. 4get about LCC & their little moneys after all who cares about division one.Go for it & make CV in premier league where it matters more. Yo only task is to ensure City is not relegated & then u will be a hero, period. I only hope yo dayz at City will many & not few as yo name suggests.
a coach can never work like that, how can u be given a list of players to play when as a coach u know their weakness and strenth. football in zambia will never develop if such adminstrators like one at city exist, no difference with kalu.