Copperbelt councillors defy FAZ summoning

Sat, 26 Nov 2016 14:28:15 +0000

WE WILL not come to FAZ to listen to frivolous charges levelled against us because we already know that they want to silence us by slapping life bans on us over trumped up charges but they will not manage, four councillors from the Copperbelt have dared Football House.

The quartet; Damiano Mutale, Kelvin Chipili, Maximillian Chanda and Michael Chimbonda from Kasama, said they will not appear on any disciplinary committee because FAZ was trying to shut them up by speaking the truth about its inefficiencies.

Speaking on behalf of his other three colleagues, Mutale said FAZ general secretary Ponga Liwewe had sent them emails summoning them to appear before the disciplinary committee today but said they will not avail themselves because they already knew that FAZ had predetermined their case and want to impose life bans from all footballing activities on them.

“We can confirm that we have received emails from FAZ asking us to appear before the disciplinary committee on Saturday but we want to categorically state that we will not avail ourselves at that disciplinary hearing because we already have information that they want to ban us for life and the reason for that is that we have been talking about their failures which they do not want to admit.

“Football is dying in this country and it is unfortunate that while we are trying help them put FAZ in order by addressing the challenges we are bringing to the fore, they find it convenient to shut us up instead of taking punitive measures to rectify the problems which are detrimental to the development of football in the country,” Mutale said.

He also said the councillors did not recognise the disciplinary committee because it was in total abrogation of the FAZ constitution as its vice chairperson Simataa Simataa was not a lawyer as stipulated by Article 46.

He added that there was no way Simataa could preside over their matters when he had unresolved issues with the association yet he was part of the same disciplinary committee that should have cleared or found him guilty of the offences he was alleged to have committed.

He also said FAZ president Andrew Kamanga still had pending issues with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) while Alex Munasha’s issues had not been brought to the same committee and wondered why there were double standards in instilling discipline among FAZ officials.

“Munasha has a matter before the said disciplinary committee yet it has not summoned him and the matter has not been brought to the committee. You are aware that Kamanga has not been cleared in the criminal cases he is being investigated ACC to which I am an interested party and makes it impossible for me to appear before the disciplinary committee.

“Simataa, the vice chairman of the disciplinary committee, is not a lawyer as per FAZ constitution Article 46 and therefore makes this committee invalid. Simata also has some issues which are not yet cleared by the association yet he is part of this committee contrary to FIFA rules and so, with all these anomalies with the disciplinary committee, we saw it fit that we stay away because it is clear that we will not have a fair hearing as our matter is predetermined,” he said.