By SANDRA MWILA and MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –

FOOTBALL Association of Zambia (FAZ) presidential hopeful Henschel Chitembeya says allegations by former treasurer Kelvin Mutafu have vindicated him over why he resigned from the executive committee in 2010.
And former Medical Stars chairperson Alex Mambwe has called on the FAZ executive members to step down on moral grounds if Mutafu’s allegations are proved to be true.
Chitembeya in an interview yesterday warned Zambians to be ready for more unfolding drama from FAZ as the elections draw near because executive members are on each other’s necks.
“The treasurers’ allegations just vindicate why I resigned from FAZ because of the corruption and I remember I cited the SuperSport and Nike deals. There is no transparency under this current executive, that’s why I want to stand to show Zambians that it is possible to run FAZ in a transparent manner not like a KGB (Soviet Union’s secret service),” he said.
Chitembeya said his zeal to take over the presidency from incumbent Kalusha Bwalya was to show Zambians that it was possible to be transparent in the running of football affairs.
Chitembeya said FAZ should be announcing gate takings as a sign of transparency and avoid speculations.
“I have always talked about announcing gate takings. What is the problem with doing so? This executive has never announced gate takings, it’s just something they push under the carpet,” Chitembeya said.
He said it was good that Mutafu had finally let the cat off the bag although it showed lack of consistency on his part.
“Mutafu is now crying wolf, and let me remind him that in 2010 when I resigned he called me names. He said I was just a trouble maker when I cited corruption in the Nike and SuperSport deals. It is good that he has made us aware of the happenings at FAZ but in my view he is not man enough, he should be consistent in what he believes in,” he said.
In a separate interview, Mambwe said there was need for the truth to come out from FAZ concerning the issues raised by Mutafu.
However, Mambwe said Mutafu should not be trusted ahead of the FAZ elective annual general meeting slated for next March.
The former Medical Stars boss wondered why it took Mutafu so long to open the lid on the alleged FAZ corrupt practices when he should have done so a long time ago.
“In as much as I appreciate that Mutafu has come out in the open to reveal the alleged corruption at FAZ, I am wondering why it took this long for him to open up. Perhaps he could have been sidelined in one of the illegal transactions for him to open up.
“He was appointed at the time some members had quit FAZ owing to corruption surrounding the Nike deal, among others. He should have also quit a long time if he meant well and not when he is not in good books with other members. I think such a candidate should not be trusted to run for office,” Mambwe said.