Fpam complains over graduation delays

In July 2013, 43 former and current footballers enrolled for a three-month vocational skills training hoping to end their miserable lives through employment or entrepreneurship, but a year after completing the course, they remain at ground zero.
The reason behind their unemployment is that they cannot be accredited by Teveta as Football Players Association’s (Fpam) is failing to pay the Training Providers Association (TPA), Teveta’s affiliates, K1.5 million fees for training the footballers in carpentry, plumbing, mechanics and welding.
The footballers are struggling to become entrepreneurs as they were not given starter-packs upon completion of their training as initially arranged when Fpam launched the skills development programme in July last year.
According to Lucy Yekha, Technical Entrepreneurship, Vocational Education and Training Authority (Teveta) senior training programme specialist, her body is only obliged to certify the footballers once they are given the green light by TPA.
However, the footballers have expressed anger at the delay, saying the suspense they have gone through for the past year is just unbearable and stakeholders need to do something for their plight.

 
“At present, companies cannot employ us because we do not have certificates and we cannot venture into business because we were not given starter-packs upon completion of our training.
“We hoped that after the training, our lives would change for the better, but look at us now. It is as if we sweated for nothing and we are tired of being looked down upon as nonentities,” said Wilton Kaunda, the former Mighty Wanderers player, who underwent a plumbing course.
Ex-Big Bullets stars Lawrence Mnenula and Ganizani Malunga, who completed a three-month motor vehicle mechanic and plumbing course under the vocational skills training programme respectively, concurred with Kaunda.
However, Fpam chairperson Ojukwu Malunga said the footballers’ journey to living a better life is still in limbo as the body’s efforts to raise the K1.5 million bill is facing challenges.

 
He said the big walks they planned as main source of their income have not yielded enough funds.
He added they tried to raise funds through curtain-raising matches at Super League encounters this season, but their requests were turned down.
“Some Super League teams believe that as former players of various teams, we can cast spells on them if we play as curtain-raisers to their league matches,” said Malunga.
Nevertheless, Super League clubs such as Mighty Wanderers said during the week that they do not necessarily turn down Fpam’s requests due to juju beliefs, but because proper procedures are not followed.
“Just talking to us clubs is not enough. I think they should go through Sulom or FAM when making such requests because from such games, they would require a cut from the gate corrections. As you know gate revenue sharing matters involve many stakeholders,” said Wanderers’ general secretary Mike Butao.

 
FAM chief executive officer Suzgo Nyirenda said they would not be able to comment on Fpam’s affairs because FAM is yet to accept the body’s affiliation request.
He, however, quashed Fpam’s claims that they sent a number of letters to FAM asking for the arrangement of fundraising matches between the former soccer stars and the national team.
“I do not remember receiving such a request. Nevertheless, I do not think it is a big problem to arrange such games as long as they approach us,” said Nyirenda.