Lecce's Contract Dispute with Lameck Banda Escalates to FIFA

Lecce’s stand-off with Lameck Banda has moved from internal disciplinary matter to international case file, with the FIGC stepping in to block the winger’s attempted switch to Libyan side Swehly SC and the dispute now poised to land on FIFA’s desk.

For over a month, Banda has simply vanished from Lecce’s plans.
No return for pre-season.
No training sessions.
No explanations.

Club staff waited for him to fly back to Italy. He never showed. Calls went unanswered, messages ignored. Not even his official agent could get through. For a player who had become one of Lecce’s most electric attacking outlets, the silence was deafening.

The situation escalated when Banda resurfaced – not in Lecce, but in Libya.

Photos and reports placed the Zambian with directors of Swehly SC (also known as Asswehly Sports Club), a club that had already seen an offer for him rejected earlier in the summer. That sighting turned suspicion into full-blown alarm in Lecce’s corridors: their player, still under contract, appearing alongside officials from a club openly trying to sign him.

The Libyan Federation then formally requested clearance for Banda’s transfer. That’s where the FIGC stepped in.

The Italian Football Federation announced it had refused to authorise the move, siding firmly with Lecce. In its statement, the FIGC confirmed that Banda remains under contract with the Serie A club until June 30, 2027.

That date is at the heart of the row.

Reports in Italy state that Banda believes he became a free agent on July 1, 2026. He is said to contest Lecce’s use of a contractual option that allowed the club to extend his deal by a further year, covering the 2026-27 season. From Banda’s side, the claim is simple: he did not realise such an option existed and does not recognise the extension.

From Lecce’s side, the stance is just as clear: the option is valid, the contract runs to 2027, and the player cannot walk away or sign elsewhere without their consent.

With the FIGC now formally backing the Italian club and blocking the move to Swehly SC, the domestic avenues are exhausted. The next step is obvious and inevitable: FIFA.

If the case is lodged in Zurich, world football’s governing body will be asked to rule on the validity of the contract extension and whether Banda has breached his obligations by going AWOL and seeking a transfer while still tied to Lecce.

For a player once celebrated at the Stadio Via del Mare for his pace and direct running, the story has shifted sharply. From key man to absentee. From crowd favourite to legal flashpoint.

The ball now moves out of Lecce’s training ground and into the hands of international lawyers and FIFA’s dispute panels. The question is no longer how Banda fits into Lecce’s attack next season, but whether he will be allowed to wear another club’s shirt at all before 2027.