.KAMBWILI

By MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –
SPORTS Minister Chishimba Kambwili has urged the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) to expedite the registration of the Chipolopolo brand.
Kambwili said in an interview that doing so would widen the revenue base for Football House to properly run its activities across the country.
The minister said it was unfortunate that the country’s football governing body was being robbed of revenue by unscrupulous people who were engaged in the production of fake replicas using the FAZ logo.
He said it was, therefore, important for FAZ to quickly register the Chipolopolo brand with the Patents and Companies Registration Agency (PACRA).
“There are a lot of fake Chipolopolo replicas that have flooded the streets and some unscrupulous people are making a lot of money at the expense of FAZ. I think it is high time that FAZ takes a concrete step to ensure that they generate enough revenue through the sale of replicas,” Kambwili said.
Kambwili said it would be easy to prosecute those engaged in the production of counterfeit replicas once FAZ owned the rights for the Chipolopolo logo brand.
He noted that the soccer fans were in dire need of original Chipolopolo replicas at reasonable prices.
“By and large, we need to move quickly and make sure that the resources that they have been losing can end up in the FAZ coffers because we own the rights,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kambwili said the  construction of the Sports University in Luanshya had stalled because Luanshya Copper Mines (LCM) who are owners of the Sports Complex that is earmarked for the institution, have not handed it over to government.
He said Government was still negotiating with the company for the possible handover to government so that works could commence.