Emergency FAZ AGM Agreed, Sports Minister

According to Sports Minister Emmanuel Mulenga an Emergency Annual General Meeting for Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) stakeholders is to be held in a bid to resolve various disagreements.

Mulenga says that through a meeting coordinated by the National Sports Council of Zambia stakeholders, including the FAZ Executive, have agreed to the AGM.

Anyone who does not comply with the decisions taken at the meeting will face a ban by government, the Minister stated.

Mulenga also stated that the parties involved have agreed to withdraw legal cases currently before the courts in a bid to facilitate reconciliation. He reiterated that government has no preferred candidate for the FAZ Presidency, rejecting claims by Kalusha Bwalwa and Andrew Kamanga that he is biased.

Last week FIFA announced that it had agreed to help resolve the impasse at FAZ should the National Sports Council fail to reconcile the parties.

FAZ General Secretary Adrian Kashala has previously voiced concern that attempts to interfere in the body’s election process could result in a ban for Zambia by FIFA.

“…from the time we started hosting the elections that there were some people who wanted to stop us from proceeding with the elections. We knew this from a long time ago that several individuals are not happy that we have gone ahead with the elections despite us doing the right thing and following procedure in whatever we are doing,” Kashala was quoted as stating.

The international body had warned FAZ that outside interference in the process could see Zambia suspended and as a result banned from all fixtures and tournaments including the CAF Champions league and the Confederations Cup.

“We would like to remind FAZ that FIFA attaches importance to the obligation of all its member associations to manage their affairs independently and ensure that all its affairs are not influenced by any third party. We further wish to underline that the violation of the obligations laid down by FAZ or its members may lead to sanctions as provided for in the FIFA statutes, including a possible suspension,” FIFA previously cautioned.