Lameck Banda (born 29 January 2001) is a Zambian professional footballer who plays as a left winger for Serie A club Lecce and the Zambia national team.
 Banda with Arsenal Tula in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 January 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Lusaka, Zambia | ||
| Height | 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Left winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lecce | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Nkwazi | ||
| 2018–2019 | ZESCO United | ||
| 2019–2022 | Arsenal Tula | 11 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | → Maccabi Netanya (loan) | 24 | (2) |
| 2021–2022 | → Maccabi Petah Tikva (loan) | 33 | (8) |
| 2022– | Lecce | 57 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| Zambia U17 | |||
| Zambia U20 | |||
| 2019 | Zambia U23 | 3 | (0) |
| 2022– | Zambia | 14 | (3) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 June 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 January 2024 | |||
Club career
editOn 10 July 2019, Banda signed a contract with Russian Premier League club FC Arsenal Tula.[2] He joined his compatriots Evans Kangwa and Kings Kangwa at the club.
He made his debut in the Russian Premier League for Arsenal Tula on 12 July 2019 in a season-opening game against FC Dynamo Moscow, as a starter.[3]
On 3 September 2020, Banda signed with Maccabi Netanya.[4] On 7 September 2020, Arsenal Tula confirmed the transfer and announced that it is a loan until May 2021.[5] On 6 August 2021, he returned to Israel, joining Maccabi Petah Tikva on a season-long loan with an option to buy.[6]
On 4 August 2022, Banda joined newly promoted Serie A club U.S. Lecce on a permanent deal, signing a four-year deal with an option for a fifth season.[7][8] He then made his debut for the Italian club on 13 August, coming on as a substitute for Federico de Francesco in the 74th minute of a 2–1 league loss against Inter Milan.[9] By doing so, he became the first Zambian player to ever feature in a Serie A match.[9]
On 4 January 2023, Banda was racially abused, together with his team-mate Samuel Umtiti, by a group of away supporters during a home league game against Lazio.[10][11][12][13] The Lazio fans involved kept targeting the two players with racist chants throughout most part of the match,[10][14] with referee Livio Martinelli being forced to interrupt the game for a few minutes during the second half – although the Zambian player had already been substituted at half time.[10][12][13] The game eventually ended in a 2–1 win for Lecce.[11][12] The club's president himself, Saverio Sticchi Damiani, defended both the abused players in the post-match.[10][13][14] Lazio apologised for the behaviour of their supporters by issuing an official statement on social media,[15] while FIFA president Gianni Infantino showed support to Umtiti and Banda through a message on his Instagram profile.[12][13]
International career
editBanda has been capped by Zambia at the under-17, under-20 and under-23 levels.[16][17] He debuted for the senior Zambia national team in a friendly 3–1 win over the Congo on 25 March 2022.[18]
International goals
edit- Scores and results list Zambia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Banda goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 March 2023 | Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Ndola, Zambia |  Lesotho |
2–1 | 3–1 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 3–1 | |||||
| 3 | 17 November 2023 | Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Ndola, Zambia |  Congo |
2–2 | 4–2 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
References
edit- ^ Lameck Banda at Russian Premier League
- ^ "ЛАМЕК БАНДА И КИНГС КАНГВА В "АРСЕНАЛЕ"" [Lameck Banda and Kings Kangwa in Arsenal] (in Russian). FC Arsenal Tula. 10 July 2019.
- ^ "Game Report by RFPL" (in Russian). Russian Premier League. 12 July 2019.
- ^ Pshehazky, Moti (3 September 2020). "המחטף הושלם: לאמק בנדה חתם בנתניה" (in Hebrew). Sport5. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
- ^ "ЛАМЕК БАНДА – В "МАККАБИ" НЕТАНИЯ" [Lameck Banda at Maccabi Netanya] (in Russian). FC Arsenal Tula. 7 September 2020.
- ^ "We are pleased to announce tonight the two signatures". Maccabi Petah Tikva. 6 August 2021.
- ^ "Lameck Banda è un calciatore del Lecce". U.S. Lecce (in Italian). 4 August 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ De Magistris, Raimondo (4 August 2022). "UFFICIALE: Lecce, il nuovo attaccante è zambiano. Preso il 2001 Lameck Banda". TUTTOmercatoweb.it. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Lameck Banda makes his Serie A debut". Zambian Telegraph. 14 August 2022. Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d "I cori razzisti durante Lecce-Lazio". Il Post (in Italian). 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Il Lecce ribalta la Lazio ma Umtiti esce in lacrime: buu razzisti contro di lui". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 4 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d Garrick, Omar (5 January 2023). "Infantino shows support for Umtiti, Banda after racist abuse". The Athletic. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Infantino calls on fans to 'shut up all the racists'". ESPN. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ a b Calvi, Francesco (4 January 2023). "Ululati verso Umtiti e Banda, la lezione del Lecce: "Il nostro pubblico ha zittito i razzisti"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ "Cori razzisti in Lecce-Lazio, arriva il comunicato di condanna del club biancoceleste". Sky Sport (in Italian). 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- ^ "COSAFA Under-17 Championship". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "Lameck Banda profile". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "Zambia vs. Congo - 25 March 2022". Soccerway. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
External links
edit- Lameck Banda at Soccerway