FIGC Blocks Lameck Banda Move Amid Lecce Standoff
Lameck Banda’s standoff with Lecce has escalated into a full-blown legal and regulatory battle, with the FIGC stepping in to block his proposed move to Libyan side Swehly SC and the case now poised to land on FIFA’s desk.
The Zambian winger has been missing from Lecce duty for over a month. He failed to report back for pre-season in Italy, then cut off contact entirely. No training. No explanations. No answers to calls from the club or even his own official agent.
For Lecce, the silence quickly turned into suspicion.
AWOL Winger, Libyan Links
The alarm truly rang when Banda was spotted alongside directors of Swehly SC (also known as Asswehly Sports Club), the Libyan club that had already seen an offer for him rejected earlier in the summer. A player under contract, missing from training, suddenly photographed with representatives of a club that had just failed to buy him – it was a combination that Lecce could not ignore.
The Italian Football Federation moved next.
On Friday, the FIGC confirmed it had refused to authorise a transfer request submitted by the Libyan Federation for Banda’s registration with Swehly SC. In simple terms: no international clearance, no move.
In its statement, the FIGC underlined a key point that sits at the heart of this dispute – Banda remains under contract with Lecce until June 30, 2027.
Contract Clash at the Heart of the Storm
From Banda’s side, the story is very different. Reports in Italy indicate the forward insists he believed he would be a free agent from July 1, 2026. Central to that misunderstanding is an option clause in his Lecce deal.
According to those reports, Banda claims he did not know the contract contained an option allowing Lecce to unilaterally extend his stay by one more season, covering the 2026-27 campaign. Lecce, backed now by the FIGC’s formal stance, consider that option valid and exercised. Banda, convinced his deal was due to expire in 2026, refuses to recognise the extension and, by extension, the contract itself.
That disagreement has triggered the current impasse: a player who sees himself as free, a club that sees him as tied down, and a Libyan side caught in the middle, unable to complete a transfer without international clearance.
Next Stop: FIFA?
With the FIGC siding firmly with Lecce and blocking the move to Swehly SC, the next step appears inevitable. The matter is expected to be taken to FIFA, where the world governing body will be asked to rule on the validity of Banda’s contract and Lecce’s option clause.
For now, the situation is stark. Lecce have a key attacking winger officially on their books until 2027. That same player is absent without leave, training with no one, and pictured with directors of a club he cannot currently join.
One way or another, a tribunal room rather than a pitch looks set to decide where Lameck Banda plays his football next.
