…FAZ appoints Kephas Katongo to lead ZPL
By MICHAEL MIYOBA
IN a quest to make the domestic football league run independent, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has finally appointed a committee chaired by Ethics Committee Chairperson Kephas Katongo to manage the Zambian Premier League (ZPL).
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FAZ president Andrew Kamanga said the establishment of the ZPL is not a divorce but a partnership that promises to elevate the Zambian game to the next level. He was speaking during its launch in Lusaka yesterday.
“Today’s event comes on the back of a historic development in our game which is the de-linking of the premier league from the Football Association of Zambia. This is a process that has been long trodden by the Zambian game, but we are happy that we are building from the lessons of history,” Kamanga said.
Present during the launch were Supersport CEO, Stan Mathews, FAZ vice president, Justin Mumba and Lusaka Province chairperson Jordan Maliti among others.
Kamanga said SuperSport will be a key player in the new set up as it has been an all-weather partner and remained in Zambia after pulling out in other countries.
He said FAZ will retain the overall superintendent role over football in the country with the ZPL given appropriate management rights as it operates independently.
“Under the new set up, FAZ will focus on developmental programmes through all national teams, women football and grassroots,” Kamanga said.
And Katongo said the ZPL will provide servant leadership to the clubs through personal humility and professional will on a mutually beneficial basis.
“Our aim is to create passive income for clubs through innovative ideas we shall always bring to your face over and above the current financial support. We intend to be strong on capacity building and are already in discussion with an entity for the provision of a sports diploma for ZPL administrators,” Katongo said.
Katongo added that the ZPL intend to comprehensively engage Government in its quest to sustain its operations.
“Areas of compliance especially through club licensing shall be top on the agenda. Caf have advanced in this area as we now even have clop (Club Licensing Online Platform) officers. We saw some improvement in this area at the beginning of 2023/2024 but still with areas of great improvement,” he said.
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