By MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –

HENSCHEL Chitembeya has challenged Football House to explain the details that led to the collapse of the Nike deal.
Chitembeya said there were no concerns from any official when the Nike deal was signed under the Teddy Mulonga-led FAZ in 2004 as it served the interests of the national team.
He said the deal had been mishandled by the current executive owing to their secrecy and thus could not sustain it.
Chitembeya’s comment comes in the wake of an announcement made by FAZ club licensing manager Eric Mwanza that confirmed the end of the partnership with renowned United States of America (USA) kit sponsor Nike.
Mwanza said Nike offered ‘something’ that could not meet FAZ’s expectations and the national team.
But Chitembeya said it would be prudent for Football House to give an account of how the deal suddenly could not serve the interests of the national team when it did for many years.
“I resigned from the FAZ executive committee because of the manner this (Nike) deal and other issues were being handled. For some time, this issue had been a one-man show and renewal of the deal was subject to one person without the approval of the entire committee.
Meanwhile, Chitembeya advised Football House not to rush into signing another kit deal once the Nike contract expires.
Chitembeya said in an interview that there was need to ensure kit deals signed benefit the national team to a greater extent.
“The problem has been that people tend to rush into signing contracts even without weighing the resulting benefits. I think FAZ should not rush into committing to any kit deals until terms are in the best interest of the national team.
It will be even better if they wait until after the elections in March 2016, so that the executive that comes in will not be bound to any contracts,” Chitembeya said.