Minister of Youth ans Sport, Emmanuel Mulenga
SUN SPORTS writes
SPORT, Youth and Child Development Minister Emmanuel Mulenga says the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) elections will not be held until FIFA sends representatives to guide on the way forward.
After a meeting involving FAZ officials, aggrieved individuals who have taken FAZ to court, the National Sports Council of Zambia and Government officials led by Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe on Thursday, Mulenga who led FAZ and the individuals who had sued FAZ into signing a consent judgement yesterday said that the aggrieved party will withdraw the football case from courts of law.
Mulenga said the parties also agreed that FAZ will not proceed with elections until after the meeting to be chaired by FIFA to iron out outstanding electoral contested issues.
He said the government was aware of the role football plays in unifying the nation and its contribution to social economic development.
Meanwhile, FAZ vice president Rix Mweemba said they will write to FIFA informing the international soccer governing body of the latest developments.
“We agreed that all those cases in court have to be withdrawn then us as FAZ we are going to stop the elections, we are not going to continue because those cases have been withdrawn, we are going to wait for FIFA to come in.
“We have a pending appointment with FIFA so at that meeting FIFA will make a decision on which direction to go and then that will be binding. When FIFA makes the final decision no one will take any other decision apart from the decision to be given by FIFA,” Mweemba said.
“FIFA was supposed to come in May but because of theCovid-19 they have not indicated the new date yet, that is why we are writing to them now to tell them that they are the ones we are depending on for the matter to be concluded.”
FIFA had on July 1 given FAZ a 10-day ultimatum to resolve the wrangles or risk being sanctioned, a warning which was not received well by President Edgar Lungu who is the patron of FAZ.
Lungu who is concerned that football continues to be fraught with wrangles, directed Presidential Affairs Minister Freedom Sikazwe to chair a meeting called by Youth and Sports Minister Emmanuel Mulenga between FAZ, Damiano FC proprietor, Damiano Mutale and others who had sued FAZ.
Mutale and Patson Lusaka sued FAZ in an attempt to stop the FAZ elections while expelled FAZ vice president Richard Kazala, sued Kamanga and general secretary Adrian Kashala for contempt of court.
