Stoppila Sunzu, Nathan Sinkala, and Rainford Kalaba, players from TP Mazembe, faced legal trouble after being accused of faking an injury to miss Zambia’s friendly match in China. The three players were reported missing, and Patrice Carteron, TP Mazembe’s coach, expressed his disappointment, highlighting the club’s contributions to Zambian football.
TP Mazembe has appointed a lawyer to defend the players, and the situation escalated when the trio was arrested in Chililabombwe and spent a night in prison, facing charges of fleeing the country without passports. The players were supposed to join their national team for a friendly against Brazil.
The latest update indicates that the Zambian authorities released the players and allowed them to return to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The players are now reported to be in possession of their passports again.