. KALENGO

By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
THE Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has chosen to stay mute over a tiff involving Zesco United and the Chipolopolo technical bench over the sale of forward Winston Kalengo.
Meanwhile, Zesco have insisted that Chipolopolo team manager Lusekelo Kamwambi is not the right person in the FAZ structure to talk about the club.
FAZ general secretary George Kasengele yesterday refused to comment on the matter despite it involving two key members of the FAZ structure.
“I’ll not comment on that. We shall let that question pass,” Kasengele said when pressed to give a statement after Zesco called on FAZ to tame Kamwambi’s mouth, saying he is not the right person to be issuing statements on behalf of the association on matters he does not understand.
The Chipolopolo bench and Zesco have been at each other’s throats following the sale of Kalengo.
Lusekelo, who spoke on behalf of the technical bench, said the timing of Kalengo’s sale was rather poor especially that both the club and country needed the player’s services.
But Zesco secretary Justin Mumba insisted that the club tried to keep Kalengo and that all concerned parties, including FAZ, knew about the player’s movements and subsequent departure.
“Lusekelo should just shut up. Let him not talk about transfers. Let him just concentrate on his duty as a team manager and not talk about Zesco United. He is too junior to be talking about Zesco United,” Mumba said.
He added that Zesco had been speaking to senior officials at Football House, including FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya and Kasengele, about the matter and Kamwambi was too junior in the line.
On Chipolopolo coach George Lwandamina’s sentiments, Mumba preferred not to talk about the Zesco head coach.
Lwandamina expressed disappointment that he was said to have been the one who gave Kalengo permission to go to Brazzaville.
“I must just say I am a bit disappointed with the way George Lwandamina came out. I thought he should have dispelled the misconception by the team manager but anyway, I have nothing to say about George, but Lusekelo should not talk about Zesco United,” he said.
Kamwambi said Zesco and the national team desperately wanted Kalengo for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) finals and CAF Confederation Cup games the two would be engaged in.
He said that issue should have been considered when talks to sell the players were held.