A transfer dispute between Luyando foundation and ZISD Women FC has erupted over which team owns Copper Queens midfielder Susan-Evarine Katongo.
On Thursday BOLA NEWS reported that the midfielder was on the verge of joining Green Buffaloes women’s FC from her parent club Luyando football academy foundation as she was already training with the 2022 COSAFA women’s Champions League winners pending ink to paper to be confirmed a Buffaloes player.
In a dramatic turn of events, ZISD general secretary Elijah Jani Lungu has issued a statement claiming the player was signed by their club and warned Buffaloes to stop training with her.
The statement further read that, Katongo was not on loan to ZISD Women F.C but was permanently signed and has a running contract with them.
The club has since written to Green Buffaloes to engage them formally, failure to which, they will report the Zambia Army-sponsored club to the Football Association of Zambia(FAZ) players status committee.
ZISD have also accused Buffaloes of being unprofessional and using their head coach, Charles Haluboono who worked closely with the enterprising midfielder at the National team to lure and move her away from her parent club.
” Green buffaloes women’s football club should stop Misbehaving, who gave you permission to train with our player, Coach Halubone stop it please, why sign our player without our knowledge, I think you have now crossed the line,” the letter read.
And responding to the letter which is now making rounds on social media platforms, Green Buffaloes have advised their counterparts to “stop washing dirty linen in public, instead engage them formally as professional clubs could do.”
” We write to respond to your message on social media with regards to Susan-Evarine Katongo training with our team, with due respect we expected you to approach us in a more professional manner unlike washing dirty linen in public, ” Buffaloes secretary Kelvin Bwalya mwansa wrote in a statement..
Meanwhile, Luyando foundation have also insisted that ZICD did not pay anything to them for the player and should not claim ownership of the 19-year old who was only on loan at their club.
Bola News, however, understands that the matter between Luyando and ZICD is under the FAZ players status committee to determine who the rightful owners of the player are, and it might affect any move by the player who is being sought-after by several local and international clubs.
Katongo has however continued training with Green Buffaloes who are preparing for the 2022 CAF Champions League slated for next month in Morocco as they are keen on adding her to their squad.
