Hayatou tells Kalu, Kamanga to respect each other

Sun, 05 Mar 2017 09:22:02 +0000

By GRACE CHAILE-LESOETSA 

CAF president Issa Hayatou has asked FAZ chief Andrew Kamanga and Kalusha Bwalya to respect each other for the development of the sport.

In an interview yesterday, Hayatou disclosed that he had a closed meeting with Kamanga and Kalusha over their continued frosty relationship last Friday.

The CAF chief said he did not find anything unusual between the two but that internal forces were responsible for creating the problem.

” I met Kalusha and Kamanga on Friday and we had a fruitful discussion. I requested Kalusha to respect the current FAZ president.  He should also consult the Kamanga on anything relating to Zambia football before making a decisions.

“Kamanga should also seek advice from his predecessor for the good of the sport. What is creating this rift are internal forces,”  he said.

Hayatou explained that Kalusha was in Zambia with the intention of supporting Kamanga in delivering a successful tournament.

”  I included Kalusha to the CAF delegation so that he could support the current FAZ chief and also as a motivator. I am confident the two will work together and develop football in Zambia. The embraced each other before me and I can confidently say the two are in a good relationship,”  he said.

On March 1, Kamanga wrote to CAF president to ask Kalusha to stop interfering in the running of football in Zambia. Kamanga claimed Kalusha was engineering his impeachment through some FAZ Councillors such as the Norther Province Football Association. Meanwhile, Hayatou has praised Republican President Edgar Lungu for fully supporting the successful hosting of the tournament. ” I would like to be sincere and frank, before our arrival we sent people to assess the preparations and it was satisfactory. From the time we arrived, everything is in order, it’s perfect.  ‘‘I am happy with the support from President Lungu and his government. He was here during the opening and while he was away, the vice president Inonge Wina was there to offer the support. This  shows the interest and seriousness the Government is in being part of organizing the tournament,”  he said.