On 24th April 2024, two persons filed a lawsuit at the High Court in Ndola, Zambia suing both Zambia FA (FAZ) President Andrew Kamanga and Secretary General Reuben Kamanga, over the most frivolous and borderline petty grievances ever invoked to halt a serious undertaking as an Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The 1st Plaintiff Damiano Mutale was suing ni his capacity as Vice Secretary General of Damiano Academy Football Club, despite the glaring fact that he was banned for nine (9) years by the FAZ Disciplinary Committee for gross misconduct in 2021.
The 2nd Plaintiff Mabvuto Phiri is listed as a Zambian tax payer and football enthusiast, even though his Twitter profile states he’s a medical practitioner and executive at MUVI Television.
In their suit, Damiano Mutale and Mabvuto Phiri claim that Zambia FA (FAZ) between 1st January 2021 and 5th April 2024, did without following the laid procedures, effect changes to the Football Association of Zambia Constitution,bby introducing additional standing Committees of FAZ, for instance by introducing the Infrastructure and Development Committee and the Futsal and Beech Soccer Committee.
Damiano Mutale (left) and Mabvuto Phiri (right).
Which is ironic because instituting those two committees resulted in significant progress for the Zambian football fraternity which culminated in the refurbishment of the David Kaunda Stadium in Chipata and qualification for the AFCON FUTSAL tournament recently held in Morocco.
Damiano Mutale and Mabvuto Phiri also claimed that in the constitutional changes made by Zambia FA (FAZ) the composition of the Executive committee was made by reducing the number of Members of the Executive Committee from 14 Members to 13 Members.
FIFA President acknowledged the refurbishment of David Banda Stadium on his Instagram page.
They say that only the Council is responsible for amending the FAZ Constitution through an elaborate procedure at the Annual General
Conference. Which procedures were flagrantly abrogated by the Defendants herein.
Through those minor technicalities and frivolous excuses Damiano Mutale and Mabvuto Phiri hope to convince the courts that Zambia FA (FAZ) undermined the integrity of the sports and that (refurbishing David Banda Stadium, qualifying for FUTSAL AFCON and implementing austerity measures) is at cross-purposes with the wider interest and aspirations of the general membership of the Football Association of Zambia and the nation at large.
On March 15th, the Kenyan High Court sitting in the coastal town of Mombasa, also halted their Annual General Meeting with real and quantifiable grievances including corruption where over $2.5m from the government was embezzled during the preparations for the AFCON 2019 tournament in Egypt which Kenya had qualified for.
There was also an issue of $1.3m from World Governing Body FIFA which “disappeared” meant for the acquisition of an OB-van to have been purchased under the FIFA Forward program.
This caused the government to disband the Kenya FA (FKF) and install a Caretaker Committee.
Those sound like real (and not imagined) grievances with documented proof of embezzlement. The Kenya national teams have not qualified for any major tournament since then.
And so observers are quick to pose the question as to if there are other factors are play, in the recent crisis bedeviling Zambian football.
Fingers are being pointed at Andrew Kamanga’s erstwhile critic and former football legend Kalusha Bwalya as being the unseen orchestrator of the latest crisis, exploiting his close ties with FIFA and CAF.
Zambia’s Sports Minister Elvis Nkandu was Kalusha’s campaign manager in his botched FAZ presidential bid where Kamanga emerged victorious in March 2016. There seems to be unsettled “beef” related to this matter as Nkandu has never really warmed up to Kamanga’s FAZ presidency.
Zambia Sports Minister Elvis Nkandu and football legend Kalusha Bwalya.
Reports state that Kalusha Bwalya has been pushing CAF President Patrice Motsepe to be reinstated as FAZ President, a proposal said to have generated keen interest from the South African billionaire.
In his sights for removal are Presidents of the Cameroon FA Samuel Etoo (to be replaced by Seydou Mbombo Njoya), Zambia FA’s Andrew Kamanga (to be replaced by Kalusha Bwalya) and South Africa FA’s Danny Jordaan (to be replaced by Lucas Radebe).
CLOSE TIES: Patrice Motsepe and Kalusha Bwalya at a legends match.
Just last week, Motsepe in an exclusive interview on France 24 Television, hinted of a scheme to ban Samuel Eto’o due to (unproven) allegations of match-fixing in the Cameroonian league.
Even more unsettling is the prospect of Andrew Kamanga’s bid for a seat in the FIFA Council, currently occupied by former Nigeria FA (NFF) President Amaju Melvin Pinnick. Pinnick is said to be marshaling his entire political capital not to campaign and win the presidency, but to block potential opponents from challenging his seat.
REPLACEMENTS: Seydou Mbombo Njoya, Kalusha Bwalya and Lucas Radebe.
Which is a familiar script going by the happenings of the 2021 CAF Presidential Elections isn’t it?
WATCH: CAF President Patrice Motsepe’s Inteview with France 24 on the link below;
https://youtu.be/3slW1SpTV9Q?si=GxkcOh6U_lDl82WJ
