FAZ Polls In Limbo As NSCZ Sends Personnel to Kabwe and Choma

THE Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has successfully held Muchinga Province elections, one year after the process was halted due to a court injunction obtained by Damiano Mutale and Patson Lusaka.

FAZ held the elections despite the process having been threatened with a freeze from the National Sports Council of Zambia.

However, the three remaining elections in Central, Southern and Lusaka are in limbo following the NSCZ and ministry of sports deploying personnel to halt the process.

FAZ has secured all the relevant documentation to proceed with the meeting that include a police permit and health permit in light of Covid-19 restrictions.

In Muchinga the process proceeded seamlessly with all the documents in place and Electoral Commission of Zambia staff that are presiding over the elections in line with the revised FAZ constitution.

A FAZ insider says National Sports Council acting General Secretary Raphael Mulenga is on his way to Livingstone while Director of Sports John Zulu has headed to Kabwe to block the process.

FAZ has held elections in seven provinces namely Eastern, Western, North Western, Northern, Luapula, Muchinga and Copperbelt.

The FAZ elections were halted in March 2020 after a court injunction obtained by Mutale, a banned official and Lusaka a non-member who wanted the inclusion of former FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya on the ballot.

The standoff culminated into a cease fire president over by minister of sports Emmanuel Mulenga on July 10, 2020 in which all the parties agreed to come to a round table.

Aggrieved parties agreed to withdraw matters from the courts of law and committed to respecting the decision by FIFA on the matter.

FIFA presided over a virtual meeting on November 5, 2020 with the attendees being the minister of sports Emmanuel Mulenga, National Sports Council of Zambia (NSCZ) chairperson Patrick Mutimushi, FAZ president Andrew Kamanga, general secretary Adrian Kashala, Damiano Mutale who was represented by his lawyer Gilbert Phiri.

FIFA has since written to FAZ giving them the greenlight to proceed with the elections.

Following a request from the ministry of sports and NSCZ all the parties have been served with the verdict from FIFA that has re-confirmed the resumption of the electoral process.

FAZ is scheduled to hold its elective Annual General Meeting on February 27, 2021 in Livingstone with Kamanga being challenged by former vice president Emmanuel Munaile.

This article originally appeared on Zambia Reports