FAZ, Ministry Resolve Dispute
The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) and the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Child Development have announced the resolution of disputed issues concerning the Association and its relationship with government.
According to a press statement a meeting was held earlier this week in chaired by Sports Minister, Hon. Emmanuel Mulenga (MP) with Andrew Kamanga heading the FAZ delegation in order to iron out “outstanding issues.”
“The two parties agreed to forge a new chapter in their relationship. Both parties admitted that the fallout was due to miscommunication. To this end the two parties agreed to improve communication to avoid misunderstandings.”
They also pledged to work closely in order to ensure the development of football in Zambia and achieve positive results for all the teams.
“The parties also agreed that administrative matters which the Ministry of Youth Sport and Child Development was handling would be expeditiously dealt with expeditiously in the interest of the game of football.”
Among the issues addressed were those surrounding the electoral process for FAZ.
“FAZ gave its account on the electoral process detailing some of the areas that had sparked a lot of controversy. It also outlined the Constitutional Amendments, Electoral Committee and Electoral College that were ratified by the FAZ Council. FAZ further pledged to fully update the Ministry of Sports through the National Sports Council of Zambia (NSCZ) about the electoral process,” the statement from FAZ reads.
Regarding the upgrading of selected provincial sports centres, FAZ appealed to the Ministry of Youth Sport and Child Development to expedite the conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding with FAZ before time runs out as further delay could mean Zambia risked not accessing funds from the FIFA Infrastructure Development Project.
The statement also noted that the NSCZ has been requested to lead the process of setting up a Sports Tribunal to avoid the financially stressful route of the International Court for Sports Arbitration (CAS).
“The Minister of Youth, Sport and Child Development committed to provide policy and legal guidance in the administration of football while the FAZ President reiterated the Executive Committees’ commitment to ensuring that it works with government for the development of football in Zambia,” it concludes.
