Lecce win arbitration ruling against Banda, but FIFA case remains open

Lameck Banda has been ordered to pay Lecce €256,250, but the ruling settles only the domestic part of the dispute over his contract and failure to return to the club. Lecce is still pursuing a separate case at FIFA against the Zambia forward and his current club, Al-Swehly SC of Libya, seeking compensation and further disciplinary sanctions.

The arbitration panel, acting under the collective agreement between the Italian football federation, Serie A and the players’ association, accepted Lecce’s claims. The club said the panel found Banda’s contract ran until June 30, 2027, and that he seriously breached it by failing to make himself available from July 1, 2026, despite being called back.

The €256,250 fine is a disciplinary sanction under that agreement. It is not the outcome of Lecce’s FIFA claim, which concerns what the club describes as a termination without just cause. Lecce is seeking damages from Banda and Al-Swehly and disciplinary measures against both; FIFA has yet to decide that proceeding.

The dispute follows Banda’s move to Al-Swehly during the summer transfer window. Calciomercato.com reported that Lecce had exercised a unilateral option to extend his agreement by a year, to June 2027. The arbitration decision now backs Lecce’s position on the contract’s end date and Banda’s failure to return, while leaving the international questions of compensation and sanctions unresolved.

For Lecce, the ruling is a clear outcome on the employment dispute, but not the end of the case. The club sit 13th in Serie A with six points from six games and visit Udinese on Sunday, October 18. The FIFA proceedings remain a separate matter as the team continues its league campaign.