Sports minister Fackson Shamenda has told Faz to shape-up before heading to the Africa Cup in January.
Shamenda said this at the Olympic Youth Development Centre in Lusaka on Wednesday morning that Government has no problems supporting sports associations as long as they had good administrators.
“We shall give all the necessary support to the players and to the team. All we are saying is the administrators, if they are doing the wrong things, honestly I would rather not go the Africa Cup than go with an undisciplined bunch of persons because our performance cannot be guaranteed success there,” Shamenda said.
Shamenda has been critical in the manner in which ex-Zambia coach Dario Bonetti was fired and later the hiring of Herve Renard, the latter whom Government says it will not foot his salary.
“Government has always been funding these (National team) programs all we are asking for is for sanity to prevail,” he said.
“Even if they (FAZ) have the money it is important to consult, this is sport. Football is like a religion in our country so it’s important for all us. We need to listen to everybody football is not about football administrators and the players.”
This government is turning out to be an embarrasement – the president claims money in his country is fake; sports minister blaiming FAZ for footballer’s mediocre talent; where will it end. Zambians voted for: job creation; improved social service delivery (schools, hospitals, local councils, etc); lower income tax; higher tax from copper earning; sanity in land allocation and reserval of illegally acquired land; etc. But all I see from Sata and PF is blaiming the previous government for its failure to fulfil campaign promises. Surely, time has come for Sata to deliver. RB is gone, was defeated and is history. Now Sata – do your part …
Ba shame-nda at the rate you are going, u wont make 5 years as minister wen u start tampering with our beloved football. When did hiring and firing a national team coach became a preserve of the minister. Put money in our pockets and stop disturbing our football. How can u even start thinking of not going 2 Afcon. U must be very uninformed.
SHAMENDA – you are probably the only working minister in the Pafwile Fintu (PF) government. FAZ is in a mess. Tax payers pay the bill, so we have the right to ask questions, through you. Good job. The nonsense going on at the top of FAZ leadership is the same nonsense going on at the top of Pafwile Fintu govt. May be it is a regional thing…
Well done Shamenda. This is a messed up Administration with a lot of corruption going on. Sort them out bwana.
Zambia is not the first to hire and fire coaches, even in English football they do and many times with complications taking each other to Fifa. Morhinio was fired before time at Chelsea.Shamenda has never run football even now he’s only doing it because he has been APPOINTED minister wen his time is up, he’l not even think about football.We agree there has been problems at FAZ but we need to be positive. Just few days in office Renard has already identified those two young Nkana strikers who are already stars,watch them at COSAFA tommorrow. Dario never even watched local football not even did he identify a local player he used the same team for Renard. the same weekend Renard came back he was already watching at Nkoloma.
Ba Shamenda kabeyeni muka beya imyemfu mwambako ukutontokanyako bwino get your dirty politics out of our games. These guys (FAZ) are way too smart coz they dont even answer your yappy yappy red mouth….. FAZ lets do it guys
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The Administration of football is crucial in the development of the sport. We have a situation where the prez of FAZ lives in the diaspora and is peddling as a football agent, selling young Zambian players ( Mbola a case in point) and marketing agent for FAZ.
There is no shame in the manner Kalu is managing FAZ and he goes about it like its his birth right to mismanage Zambian Football. He appoints a coach who left in a manner that was professionally inappropriate and no sane manager would look at his application for the job .
I think the performance of the National Team at the last AFCON was due to the players and cannot be attributed to the coach – I think he is incompetent for the job.
after nevers mumba left canada last nite with a warm fare well from all diploamts accredited to canada. an item appeared in the embaasy new paper titled.Zambian Envoy leaves under unclear circusstances. its an indication that his colligues still feal more to it. and he was a president of the dilplomatic association of canada. he was cleaver and brave man.
# 9 r u on the right page for ur comment??? anyway have ur say…govt officials still trying to run FAZ by remote control right? punishing the coach won’t make problems at FAZ go away if anything FIFA will have a reason to prove govt interference ..FIFA warned them last time and there will be no second time.. once they suspend zambia… it will take long to undo..alot will be lost. if kalu and his henchmen continue their hopelessness and i agree, they are hopeless…with no pride…especially with the manner that coach left our team. but please reconsider paying the coach..his morale is equally important for the team..meanwhile, where is SIMATAA and the other football administers?? they should continue campaigning very hard and also learn from micheal SATA’S efforts to become president.
honorable shamenda,u want the national team to warm up with which coach? how sir do you expect the trainer to do his best when you the minister is in the fore front to say will not be paid.u at one time said the govt has nothing to don with Dario as he was allegedly employed by rb.i really do not know if before a coach is sought u have to be consulted or peradventure u have some coach in mind.look at wise Renard he has already identified talent but good Dario was monitoring the identified players abroad.sir get serious before the don’t kubeba slogan works against you this time around .i wish you the best as for Renard please continue doing the best
Kalusha Bwalya i want to believe is not as bad as portrayed but what i think people have inferiority complex when dealing with him.To me Kalu is a simple person and when ever he is seen to go wrong please just call him no kumukalipila and afterwards advise him to do the right thing next time.otherwise public utterances will never go any were.Kalu if used were can add value to football or acquisition of valuable sports infrastructure for in other countries he is held in very high esteem unlike here were he is looked down at unnecessarily.
Kalusha Bwalya, i want to believe is not as bad as portrayed but what i think people have is inferiority complex when dealing with him.To me, Kalu is a simple person and when ever he is seen to go wrong please just call him no kumukalipila and afterwards advise him to do the right thing next time.otherwise public utterances will never help any one.Kalu if used well can add value to football or acquisition of valuable sports infrastructure for in other countries he is held in very high esteem unlike here were he is looked down at unnecessarily.
Now I can see Zambia being banned. This Shamenda is not talking good and doesnt seem to care. He is doing the things that they were blaming on RB. Iam begining to regret having sided with these guys. Please, Shamenda, you can touch everything else or even lock up Rb, but just dont touch soccer, it has nothing to do with politics.
LEAVE FOOTBALL ALONE BA SHAMENDA .GO TO YOUR AREA IN NDOLA AND DEVELOP THE ROADS
I AM TIRED OF SHAMENDA. HE DOES NOT SEEM TO KNOW THAT THERE OTHER SPORTS DISCIPLINES TO TALK ABOUT OTHER THAN ALWAYS HAVING A BONE TO CHEW WITH FAZ
Shamenda is right. This is tax payers money. These guys need to be consulting with people who give them money. Its like sponcoring someone to school, then the chap you sponcor suddenly gets a transfer to a very expensive sshool without consulting you. How are you going to feel? Its better he/she comes to you, consults and tells you the reasons why he/she wants to change schools.
Besides, Zambia has not yet reached that level of paying coaches amounts such as $100,000. This translates to K500,000,000 per month for one person. Enough to pay pension for 3 to 4 GRZ nurses who have served for 20 years. Soccer is a number one sport but not a priority for our country to start
labouring on paying one man huge amounts when we can do with one Patrick Phiri whom we can pay $3000!!!
FAZ should just fund themselves period. Shamenda don’t get us banned! Politics doesn’t give us the fun of football. We wanna watch Chipolopolo not imyemfu
Bamudala ba Shameenda umfweniko ka joke aka
A gay couple had a wedding in the UK and the marriage officer found it weird 2 call them husband and wife since they were both male. So he finally said “I now pronounce you MAN-UNITED”:
Shamenda will bring more division to an already fragmented soccer fraternity. His utterances are confrontational rather than constructive. He appears to be a man with more power than brains. Herve Renard is already making a difference in the short time he’s been back. Our local coaches have failed to make an impact at continental level with their clubs. How can we expect them to make it at national team level? Empty tins make a lot of noise.