ABSA Cup

For the South African competition that formerly used this name, see Nedbank Cup.
ABSA Cup
Logo since 2019
Organising bodyFAZ
Founded2007
RegionZambia
Number of teams8 teams (6 from Super League and 2 from National Division One)
Current championsRed Arrows[1]
Most successful team(s)ZESCO United F.C (6 titles)
Television broadcastersSuperSport
2024 ABSA Cup

The ABSA Cup, formerly the Barclays Cup, is the current branding for an association football cup competition launched in 2007 by the Football Association of Zambia.[2][3][4]

Participants are decided half-way through current season (match day 17)[5] and are picked from the two highest divisions in Zambia. Since the inaugural season of National Division One in the 2019–20 season, 2 teams are picked from that division and 6 are from the Super League to enter the competition each year.[6]

Following the full acquisition of the assets and operations of Barclays in Africa,[7] including Zambia,[8] by South Africa-based ABSA (now Absa Group Limited) in 2018, the competition's next edition in 2019 was rebranded as the Absa Cup.[9]

The video assistant referee (VAR) was introduced to the competition and implemented on a pilot basis at the final of the 2023 edition,[10][11] a first in Zambian football and Sub-Saharan African football as a whole. Thus, this put Zambia on the list as the 3rd African country after Morocco and Egypt to introduce and implement VAR in domestic football matches.[12] Head of referees at FAZ, Aziph Banda, cited the inadequacy of FIFA-certified referees to operate the VAR, with female referee Diana Chikotesha being the only exception having previously experienced its usage at the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations and Janny Sikazwe having retired as the reason why the association appointed foreign referees solely for that final.[13]

  1. ^ "Zambia 2023/24". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  2. ^ "Barclays Cup". ZamFoot. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Zambia Cup Winners". RSSSF. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Cups". Football Association of Zambia. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  5. ^ "8 Teams Picked For 2020 Absa Cup". ZedSoccer. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  6. ^ "ABSA Cup 2019". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  7. ^ Buthelezi, Londiwe (8 April 2013). "Absa's Deal To Buy Barclays' African Operations Runs Behind Schedule". IOL. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  8. ^ "Barclays Africa Group Rebrands to Absa Group Limited". Tumufweko. Lusaka. 2 March 2018. Archived from the original on 1 May 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  9. ^ "2019 ABSA Cup launched as sponsorship package gets 25% hike". ZamFoot. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  10. ^ "VAR for the 2023 ABSA Cup final?". ZamFoot. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  11. ^ Mukunsa, Mutakila (27 May 2023). "Zambia first to use VAR technology in Cosafa region". Bolanews. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  12. ^ Tutu, Arnold (27 May 2023). "VAR To Be Used During ABSA Cup Final". ZNBC. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  13. ^ Chikenge, Calvin Kaumba (27 May 2023). "FAZ explains why the ABSA Cup final was not officiated by Zambians with VAR in use". Bolanews. Retrieved 31 May 2023.