Italian Football Federation Blocks Free Transfer of Zambezian Player Lameck Banda to Libyan Club

The Italian Football Federation has officially rejected the request to register Zambezian winger Lameck Banda as a free agent, preventing his transfer from Lecce to Libyan club Al Suwaihli without a transfer fee. Banda had been seen training with Al Suwaihli in Cairo, and the Libyan club approached FIFA to approve his free transfer. However, Lecce confirmed that Banda remains under contract until June 30, 2027, and the Italian federation upheld this contractual obligation.

This development follows reports from Italy two days earlier showing Banda at Al Suwaihli's training camp. Al Suwaihli had offered Banda a two-year contract worth 1.6 million euros per season, but Lecce insisted to FIFA and the football associations of Zambia and Libya that Banda is still contractually bound to them. The dispute began when Banda failed to return to Lecce after summer vacation and did not report for training, initially citing passport and bureaucratic issues. Lecce later announced it reserved the right to take disciplinary action against him.

On August 10, Lecce's sporting director Stefano Trinchera described the case as unprecedented, comparing it to the Bosman ruling, emphasizing that Banda is under contract and must respect the rules. Lecce now has the backing of the Italian Football Federation, which denied the Libyan federation's request to approve Banda's free transfer. Meanwhile, Israeli club Maccabi Petah Tikva, which holds a percentage of any future transfer fee for Banda, is also closely monitoring the situation for further developments.