Where is Lameck Banda? Lecce forward missing since mid-July with no contact | OneFootball

Lameck Banda has not reported back since mid-July and has given Lecce no contact, a situation the Serie A club views as increasingly worrying. The Zambia forward could be stuck in his home country.

He returned to Zambia to marry after Lecce secured top-flight safety, and was due back on 12 July for the restart and pre-season tests. La Gazzetta dello Sport suggests he remains in Zambia.

At first, Banda, 25, cited delays. On 21 July the club said the player had reported ongoing logistical and administrative issues preventing his return. Since then there has been silence.

Sporting director Stefano Trinchera said no one, including Banda’s agents, had heard from him for two weeks and staff fear something may have happened unrelated to football. Online, only a now-deleted video of him playing with friends and a photo of him and his wife at an airport last Thursday have appeared.

President Saverio Sticchi Damiani said he was unsure whether Banda would come back, calling the situation unprecedented in his 11 years. Lecce initially suspected a stand-off to push a move to Al-Fateh, but Trinchera said the Saudi club had moved on and were no longer interested.

The Zambia international has 22 caps and 3 goals. Since joining Lecce in 2022 he has played 109 matches, scoring 9 goals with 12 assists. Confirmation of his whereabouts remains difficult until he makes contact.

Source: L'Équipe