AS the mouth-watering 2024 ABSA Cup final pitting Red Arrows and Kabwe Warriors got under way at the National Heroes Stadium yesterday, fans that packed the stands to near capacity were also competing in cheering both the players and guest of honour, President Hakainde Hichilema.
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The Head of State who officially kicked off the final which Red Arrows won 2-1 had been a darling of the crowd that cheered him on arrival as he stepped on the pitch to meet the finalists.
As President Hichilema left the pitch for the stands, a small section to the left section were heard jeering but their jeers were quickly subdued by roar of cheers by the rest of the stadium.
Soon after the game, the cheering and booing discussion shifted to social media with PF supporters saying they had gotten a perfect revenge for the humiliation their boss, former president Edgar Lungu who was wholesomely booed as he handed over power in 2021 in the same stadium.
On the other hand, praise singers downplayed the jeers saying, only a little section of the crowd jeered the president which by any means was a show of freedom of expression being promoted by the New Dawn Government.
After the game, President Hakainde Hichilema advised officials of the Football Association of Zambia and stakeholders to talk over their fights without rushing to Court.
Speaking to journalists, President Hichilema urged the parties to promote the sport which binds people together and put their differences aside.
“Look at these multitudes it’s what sports is, it’s what football is it’s like a religion here so let’s promote our sports, let’s have unity through dialogue, unity through tolerance and unity through reasoning. When people talk to much it means they are refusing to reason with each other,” he said.
Last month the Ndola High Court indefinitely suspended the FAZ annual general meeting from being held until discords regarding the alleged unilateral alterations of the FAZ constitution were resolved.
The freezing of the FAZ AGM prompted Federation International Football Association (FIFA) to warn the association against a possible ban if it did not go ahead with the AGM.
However the FAZ patron instructed the minister of sport Elvis Nkandu to facilitate the dialogue process and see to it that the discords were resolved.
“Challenges always arise, misunderstandings will always arise at any stage but we must magnanimously have to dialogue, sit at the table and solve them,”the Head of State said.
“I know we have a judicial system it’s the last recourse we should go to, we seek redress we must dialogue to each other. Amicable resolution is the true resolution. Courts may decide one way or another but a heavy heartedness stays.”
In giving a post match review, President Hichilema said the game was competitive but luck is always on the side of the team that puts in the effort.
“It was competitive, it was real competition this is what sports is all about. I want to congratulate the runners up Kabwe Warriors they played a very competitive game much more congratulations to Red Arrows for winning the 2024 Absa Cup,” he said.
“Hard work is very important there’s no issue of being lucky, luck comes because they worked hard. There’s no option to hard work it doesn’t exist.”
President Hichilema also applauded Absa for putting up a competition that serves as a platform for talent search.
“We should have more cups in the year other than just Absa so that more firms can come to the table so that we have more competition and when we have more exposure then we can send our kids to play globally,”said President Hichilema.
The atmosphere was merry following a splendid performance by the Zambia Airforce sponsored team, Red Arrows who derailed the Zambia Railway football team Kabwe Warriors when after piercing their net with two arrows in the first and 42nd minutes of the game with their fighting gliders.
The crowning of the airmen as Absa Cup champions was mesmerising when the skies came alive to seal the championship title with a gulf coast salute.
By Mwaka Ndawa
Kalemba May 13, 2024.
