MUKWIMA CHILALA writes
FORMER Nchanga Rangers president Blackwell Siwale has expressed skepticism over Football Association of Zambia president Andrew Kamanga’s K1 Million pledge to Super League Clubs saying the association’s current financial state made it impossible.
Kamanga was recently quoted as having said that he planned to increase monetary allocation to Super League clubs from the Current K200,000 to K1 million and also increase sponsorship for National division one league teams from the current K25,000 to K100,000 for each team from next season.
Siwale, who has since his ejection from the executive committee in 2016 become a critic of Kamanga, wondered why the FAZ president was making such promises during an election year.
Siwale said that the FAZ president should have also explained how the Association would raise the money claiming the FA was currently struggling financially.
He also wanted to know which company would come on board to sponsor FAZ with that amount of money as many businesses had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Former FAZ executive committee noted that the promises to increase the sponsorship of teams were meant to hoodwink councilors into winning their votes.
He said that it was surprising that the FAZ president had started started about increase in sponsorship even before realizing their initiative on bonds .
“For me the K1 million sponsorship is mere politicking because many of the things that were promised are yet to be achieved so then the K1 million is something that cannot be taken seriously until it’s done,” Siwale said.
“Yes it can be done if he (Kamanga) breaks down how he hopes to distribute that money. Because who, in this current COVID-19 situation is willing to release that money and where why they get it from? If its FIFA, it has a strict rule book perhaps it’s this one which has come for clubs facing challenges from COVID-19.”
The FAZ president said increasing league monies to K1 million for clubs from broadcast and league sponsorship would provide relief to management at clubs and increase competition.
