Former Zambia midfielder Noah Chivuta has backed the idea of allowing the ABSA Cup winner to qualify for continental football, but he urged the ZPL and the sponsors to restructure the competition to allow full participation from all clubs.
In an interview with BolaNews, Chivuta said Zambia has a historical precedent for cup winners earning continental slots, citing the former Mosi Cup.
“If we look at history, we used to have the Mosi Cup and the winners also used to go and play in a continental club competition,” he said.
Chivuta compared the format to England’s FA Cup, where winners qualify for European competition.
“In England, the team which wins the FA Cup can represent in the Europa League. So if you are champions of the cup, how can you be called weak? You are champions and you deserve to challenge for a continental title,” he said.
He proposed that the cup follow a fully open knockout format, beginning with lower-division teams before Premier League sides join later in the competition.
“Let every team participate in an ABSA Cup, not formatting it from league standings like top seven only. Lower division teams can start earlier, knock themselves out and then the Premier League teams join later. That will be far much better,” Chivuta said.
He added that giving smaller clubs a pathway to continental football would boost finances, management standards, and long-term growth.
In the current ABSA Cup format, only the top seven teams at Week 17 in the Super League, the top four in the National League, and the leaders of provincial leagues midway through the season secure spots in the competition.
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