The secret behind the disappearance of Lamiek Banda, Lecce's Italian player, has been revealed.
Lamiek Banda
Club: Lecce
The player posted two photos of himself via the "Story" feature on "Instagram" while training individually yesterday, Thursday.
This comes after the club's officials explained that they were unable to contact the player amid his delay in returning with the team to participate since July 12 in the preparatory period for the new season. (Read the details)
A source close to the player explained to the Zambian website bolanews the reason for the disappearance: "Banda is not satisfied with the way his contract is being handled. He worked with them but they did not treat him well. They renewed his contract without his approval, and he was not notified of anything. He is not satisfied."
He added, "There is a feeling that the club is exploiting his inability to read Italian; they forced him to sign a paper written in Italian that he did not understand."
He concluded, "They have not paid him his salary for a month, nor his winning bonuses. He pays the rent for his house in Italy, and he feels frustrated and feels that he deserves better treatment."
The Italian club activated a clause to renew an additional season in the player's contract until the summer of 2027, without the player's approval.
A report from the Italian newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport" indicated that Saudi Al-Fateh had made a huge offer for the player, and in his absence, the Saudi club turned its attention to other players.
The 25-year-old joined Lecce in 2022 and played 104 matches in the Italian league, scoring 9 goals and providing 10 assists during them.
Banda contributed last season to keeping his team in the Italian league and avoiding relegation by scoring 5 goals and providing 4 assists in 32 matches in the Italian league.
Lecce is preparing for the start of the new season with a match against Palermo in the round of 64 of the Italian Cup in mid-August.