On November 19, 2013, FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya called a press briefing at Football House at which he fervently told the expectant press that Patrice Beaumelle had been confirmed as head coach of the Chipolopolo following the exit of Herve Renard.
However hard the press tried to get clarity on whether he had been offered a new contract or not, the ‘King’ as many love to remind us was dodgy on this front.
All we were told was that there had been a vacancy since Renard left and FAZ had now decided to fill the vacancy. As we trudged out of that press conference, apprehensive about the emptiness of the information we had been given, we decided to give it one last shot by following the FAZ President to his car to at least get clarity on whether head coach meant increased pay or not.
At least here we got somewhere, “essentially everything about his contract remains the same until it expires next year (August, 2014). It is up to him to earn this job.” Therein lay the answer as far as FAZ was concerned, it was up to Beaumelle to deserve the job they had dangled him on an assistant’s salary.
Put differently, getting an assistant’s salary and doing a head coach’s job. If being on an assistant’s salary was not bad enough, then factor in the fact that he does not even get paid at all. How charitable of Mr Beaumelle?
He kept his nerve even when he was thrown out of Fallsway Apartments where he was initially accommodated while his employers ‘tried’ to find him accommodation.
In between this circus, Renard had invited him to follow him to Sochaux and he opted to stay faithful with the Chipolopolo. He turned down Renard hoping that there would a bit more respect from his employers but it was all in vain.
Now that he is gone everyone is out all guns blazing calling him names. Did any of the people pointing fingers ever listen while he was asking for a new contract? Did he not throw the ball in FAZ’s court several times?
By the way don’t get fooled that someone will give you that crap about partners not honouring promises to pay or government not guaranteeing money. Don’t we always declare a healthy surplus annually at the Annual General Meeting? What has happened to the entire massive rake-ins from ‘historic’ international friendly matches with retains as high as US$1 million?
While you are still at it don’t be in such a hurry to scream the local coach mantra for our brother man may just get anything from US$1000 TO US$5000 pay-and even be lucky to get all of it.
By the way Renard always had a word out of his frustration with FAZ organization that he never hid even from his employers that became an in-corridor joke taka-taka administration. Good luck to the next man!
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