By SAMUEL LUKHANDA, GWEN CHIPASULA and RONALD CHAWE –
Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) committee member Pivoty Simwanza wants incumbent president Kalusha Bwalya to go unchallenged at the March 19 elective Annual General Meeting.  Simwanza, who is vying for the FAZ vice presidency, has since called on presidential aspirants, Andrew Kamanga and Henchel Chitembeya, to honour Kalusha by letting him go unchallenged at the elective annual general meeting.
He feels doing so would go well with the Africa 10 Football Hall of Fame honour bestowed on Kalusha for his contribution towards the development of football on the continent.
“Let Kamanga and Chitembeya replicate what the outside world have done by honouring this great son of the country by giving him another term by letting him be unopposed and they can come take over after his term is done,” said Simwanza.
Simwanza said this in congratulating Kalusha for the award and urged Zambians to join the rest of the world in honouring the 1988 African Footballer-of-the-Year.
He said Kalusha commands a lot of respect at both FIFA and CAF as can be seen with the various positions he has held and that it would be good if Zambians joined in congratulating him.
“Having travelled with Kalusha to both CAF and FIFA congress and seen firsthand the recognition and respect his peers give him, it’s just fitting for his fellow countrymen to replicate that,” Simwanza said.
Meanwhile, aspiring vice-president Mofya Chisala concluded his campaigns and has expressed confidence of scooping the seat.
Chisala said at a Press briefing that he has no doubt that he is the incoming vice-president adding that he has been endorsed by councillors from all the 10 provinces that he has visited during his campaigns.
Incumbent Boniface Mwamelo, Simwanza, Cephas Katongo and Richard Kazala are others contesting for the position.
“I am confident this is my time. In 2012 I stood and got 38 votes, that was motivation enough because I only visited three provinces that time. But this time around I have visited 10 and I know what councillors want,” he said.
Another aspiring candidate but for the committee member position, Elijah ‘Shenko’ Chileshe has said he deserves to be elected because he has contributed a lot towards football development.
Chileshe, who served in the Kalusha Bwalya led executive from 2008 to 2012, said in an interview that he needs to be elected so that he continues with the foundation agenda of the sport.
He has since challenged those seeking positions to state what contribution they have made to growth of the sport unlike concentrating on persistent attacks on each other in the media which he said was not helping in building Zambian football.