New Football Association President elected in Zambia

Published by Korir, api africanpress@getmail.no 

<Story by Chishala Musonda

LUSAKA – Kalusha Bwalya is the new Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president after beating incumbent Teddy Mulonga during Saturday’s annual general meeting held at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka.
Kalusha, Zambia’s most decorated soccer star polled a run-away 120 votes against Mulonga’s 66 while the third candidate, Hanif Adam managed just 11.
National Sports Council of Zambia (NSCZ), the supreme sports body in Zambia, were the overseer of the annual congress and board member Elliots Mhende announced the results.

Kalusha was the Zambian FA vice-president before the Saturday elections. Only Kalusha and committee member Henscel Chitembeya, who served in the previous executive committee, have been retained for latest mandate.
“It’s the wish of the councillors that I have been elected FAZ president. I thank the councillors for the confidence place in me by electing me as president of the Football Association of Zambia.
“Time for rhetoric is over, we must remain united the good of the game because in football there are no permanent enemies. There are only competitors who at the end of the day must shake each others’ hands,” the 1988 Africa Footballer-of-the-Year said in his speech after being elected to the helm of Zambian football.

Kalusha has played professional football in Europe, America and the Middle East.
Elected alongside Kalusha in the Zambian FA for the next four-year term is his former club and
international team-mate Emmanuel Munaile as his vice. Kalusha and Munaile played club football at Mufulira Wanderers and also represented Zambia.

Munaile, polled 73 votes to emerge victor over Joseph Nkole who earned 39, Andre Mtine was 10 votes behind while Giles Yambayamba and Simataa Simataa received 28 and 27 votes apiece.
Nkole and Mtine were committee members in the last executive committee while Simataa once served as association president.

Bourne Mwamelo also squeezed his way into the FA of Zambia as treasurer defeating Rix Mweemba who was seeking re-election.

Mwamelo polled 95, 18 votes better than Mweemba while the other candidate Frank Munthali managed 24.
In the battle for committee membership that had 24 candidates contesting for six position saw – Pivoty Simwanza, Lenny Nkhuwa receive 100 votes each, Marcha Chilemena a broadcaster getting 89 ahead of Chitembeya retaining into the committee with 69, Violet Bwalya weighed in with 64 one better than Keagan Chipango.

Nkhuwa and Bwalya are the woman in the nine-member Zambian FA executive committee.

The vice-president Munaile and committee member Simwanza were members of the Evaristo Kasunga FAZ executive committee that was hounded out of office four years ago.
“This was without doubt the most hotly contested election. While this election has signalled the end of an era and the beginning of another, a new era is set to revolutionise our game and take us to a new and higher level that we so desire,” Kalusha said amid applause from his supporters.

The task ahead for the Kalusha-led executive committee is to qualify Zambia to the Africa Cup and World Cup in 2010 both to be staged in southern Africa.
Angola, Zambia’s neighbour to the north west, will be staging the Africa Cup while South Africa are the World Cup hosts the same year.
Zambia are in Group 11 of the preliminary round 2010 World Cup qualifier that comprises 2006 World Cup finalist Togo and Swaziland.
Eritrea, the other member in the Group, withdrew from the competition leaving the three nations to fight for two places in the second round of the race to the 2010 World Cup.
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African Press International – API