By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
THE Sports Council of Zambia (SCZ) has warned of stern action against affiliate associations in the habit of ignoring the nation’s supreme sports authority and instead solicit for money directly from the Ministry of Sports to lobby for their various programmes.
SCZ board chairperson, Mwamba Kalenga said his administration would not allow anarchy to prevail in sports administration but demand orderliness in doing business.
Speaking on a ZNBC Radio-4 programme (Zam inter-sports show) in Lusaka, Kalenga said it was not right for sports associations to bypass the council and go straight to the ministry to lobby for money.
He was however quick to mention though that the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) was an exception to this order.
“To all associations, don’t go straight to ministry to lobby for money. If you want money from the ministry, you have to go through us. If you bypass us, that only means you are antagonising us,” he said.
On FAZ being an exception, Kalenga said football was a sport that involved almost the entire Zambian populace and that FAZ handles colossal amounts of money which fall outside SCZ’s budget.
He said FAZ organises games and Government had to give them colossal sums because the money falls outside the SCZ budget.
Since the money does not come from SCZ, FAZ are allowed to go straight to the ministry and receive the funding.
Kalenga said football also commands a huge following in the country and determines the mood of the citizens.
He also hailed FAZ for having a nationwide structure and having always kept their books clean and up-to-date unlike most other smaller associations.
The SCZ chief said associations seeking money should go the council and benefit from the K120, 000 monthly allocation it gets from Government to meet the various associations’ needs whether locally or internationally.
He also announced that Haroon Ghumra had been appointed to handle the council’s finances because of his discipline.
Ghumra has been tasked to ensure all monies are well utilised and go towards the development of sport in the country.
