By Kennedy Gondwe
So, Andrew Kamanga, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president has lost his bid to get elected on the FIFA Council?
Before I proceed, well done FAZ for posting a picture of Kamanga and Kalusha Bwalya in Cairo, we need to see more of such — including birthday wishes and goal achievements of players like Fashion Sakala in Saudi Arabia.
I had hoped he’d win—really, genuinely so.
It would have been a proud moment for the country and for him as an individual.
It would have also been good for the COSAFA and CECAFA regions that threw their weight behind him. Their show of support was remarkably commendable.
But he has been rejected for a seat on the FIFA Council—the same FIFA he runs to for refuge whenever he has had issues with the government here, lamenting third-party interference and threats of a ban.
For reasons best known to themselves, it’s his peers on the continent who have deemed our star man unfit to sit at the FIFA Council high table, where sumptuous meals are served while discussing strategic direction and policies for football’s world governing body.
All hope is not lost, though—he has a chance to redeem himself here at home, where FAZ will be holding its elective AGM at the month’s end.
He will be challenged by Keith Mweemba, Adrian Kashala, Francis Hafwiti and Emmanuel Munaile.
Among his promises, as he seeks to extend his leadership beyond the nine years he has served so far, is to turn FAZ into a financially independent organization by 2029, something he has failed to do in close to 10 years.
Under the watch of our business guru and financial expert, FAZ losses are in dozens of millions of kwacha.
So, indeed, the very person under whose watch we have been driven into those pits may be the solution because he knows the corners of how we got there in the first place—so FAZ councillors, please maybe vote for him: he could yet be the Messiah needed.
Credit where it’s due, Kamanga has done exceptionally well with women’s football and countless COSAFA titles across different categories. I repeat, exceptionally well.
The women’s team has become a regular feature at the Africa Cup, World Cup and Olympics, while in youth football and training coaches, he has been fairly impressive.
I am not sure what to make of his performance on the men’s side of the game, as well as our clubs’ performance at the continental level.
Let me be mild by saying Kamanga has been as calamitous as Laughter Chilembe when he faced the eccentric El-Hadji Diouf in Chililabombwe when Zambia hosted Senegal in a crucial World Cup qualifier in 2005.
At the same time, though, I have no reason to believe that when Kamanga feels his association’s interests are threatened and rules are allegedly being flouted by councillors, he can fight back as hard as a certain Tommy in Kenny Rogers’ “Coward of the County” all-time classic: you underestimate him at your own peril.
The rest we leave to the councillors on March 29 at Fairmount Hotel. Never underestimate their wisdom in numbers (sometimes).
Commiserations on the FIFA elections loss and all the best in the FAZ polls in Livingstone.
