By FELIX MALUNGA and MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –
THE Sports Council of Zambia (SCZ) has stepped into the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) affairs to ascertain the legality of this weekend’s controversial reconvened annual general meeting (AGM).
This follows a directive from Sports Minister Vincent Mwale for the SCZ to give guidance on the meeting which has sparked debate over its legality.
SCZ vice-chairperson Emmanuel Katebe said Zambia’s supreme sports body was studying the matter through its legal and disciplinary committee.
“We are studying the matter through our legal and disciplinary committee. We will give it the utmost urgency it deserves,” Katebe said.
Last week, former Kabwe Warriors chairperson Andrew Kamanga appealed to Mwale and the SCZ to take keen interest in the alleged constitutional breaches by FAZ regarding the October 10 reconvened AGM.
Kamanga said as far as he was concerned, the March AGM held in Kabwe was conclusive, hence the reconvened meeting set for Government Complex in Lusaka this Saturday had no legal backing.
But FAZ charged that there was no illegality in its reconvened council meeting as it would only conclude unfinished business from the adjourned March gathering.
Meanwhile, Henschel Chitembeya has implored FAZ executive members to desist from using the ongoing Airtel Talent Search as a campaign tool ahead of the 2016 elections.
FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya and executive member in charge of youth football Lee Kawanu are on a talent identification trail since the Airtel Talent Search was launched with Southern, Eastern and Northern provinces already covered.
But Chitembeya, who will be challenging Kalusha for the FAZ presidency, accused the executive members of interfering in the duties of the technical committee to gain mileage in the run-up to the polls next year.
“It is very sad that the entire FAZ president is in the forefront in talent identification when it should be the technical committee spearheading that programme. This is tantamount to interference and it is difficult for the technical committee members to perform under such conditions,” Chitembeya said.
He said the Airtel Talent Search would be misconstrued to be a campaign platform and risked not yielding desired results if FAZ officials did not leave the process to the technical committee.
“We have capable hands to handle talent identification.  This is why we fail to bring on board good and deserving players because executive members assume the role of technocrats,” he said.