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Zambia’s football association president Kalusha Bwalya has asked his competitors to stop campaigning ahead of the 2016 elective annual general meeting set for March or face sanctions while his men go round the country distributing branded soccer balls as part of his campaign for a third term.
Kalusha, who become the first candidate in Zambian football to introduce portrait bearing campaign t-shirts when he contested the presidency in 2008 after hiring thugs from Katondo street to Mulungushi International Conference Centre, is reportedly under pressure from club officials to vacate.
The 1988 African Footballer of the Year is seeking a third term but Zambians have grown dissatisfied with his administration which has been dodged with massive corrupt accusations.
Alongside his committee member Richard Kazala, Kalusha has shipped in some third grade soccer balls from China with imprints “This ball is donated by Richard Kazala and Kalusha Bwalya”.
According to an article published in The Post Newspaper by one of Kalusha’s known “pocket journalist”, officials are being threatened not to campaign except those as privilaged as the powers that be.
Kalusha claims those that have prematurely started campaigning for the FAZ presidency are in breach of FIFA fair play regulations and the FAZ constitution.
“Let them be forewarned, once they do something which is against the constitution and against football fair play then we will put them to book and their campaign will finish before they start. This is a warning,” he said.
Kalusha claims he will only kick-start his campaign for the FAZ presidency in January and has wished those that have began campaigning “good luck.”
His comments come in the wake an incident at Woodlands Stadium at which supporters of FAZ presidential aspirant Andrew Kamanga cheered him on while wearing t-shirts bearing his portrait.
“It’s not allowed to behave like that; some people don’t know the rules, people that have never been in football. We have to excuse them but once they breach the rules then we will take them to book. When they breach the rules and we feel that the rules are being broken, then we will deal with them,” Kalusha said.
Kalusha faces stiff competition from Lusaka business magnet Andrew Kamanga. Kamanga is said to command a lot of respect in the corporate world where he is reportedly hoping to tap into and build a firm sponsorship base for various sections of Zambian football.
The post Kalusha Kicks Off Early Campaigns, tells Others to Stop Campaigns or Face Bans appeared first on Zambia Reports.
