ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: KEITH MUST FIRE KEITH

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: KEITH MUST FIRE KEITH

“He’s Proving to Be an Unmitigated Disaster”

By Kennedy Gondwe

Just like that, coach Nora Häuptle will not be part of the FIFA Series tournament in Brazil due to “administrative issues.”

The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has finally confirmed this after initially dismissing a report by one Augustine Mukoka.

While the team is in Brazil, coach Nora is actually headed in the opposite direction, to Lusaka, “as a result of ongoing re-negotiation for amendments to her current contract…to ensure that all outstanding issues are resolved in a professional manner,” according to a statement from FAZ.

Who does that on the eve of an important tournament?

With all the happenings and what is being reported, you can’t exactly put a finger on how many players have made it to Brazil for the series kicking off this evening, because some of our star players are entangled in visa glitches – yet we knew about this important assignment many moons ago!

As you read this, some of players could even be flying to Brazil for this evening’s match.

There’s one thing that was brought to FAZ president Keith Mweemba’s attention before and after the dismal outing to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations for the men’s team. Keith was cautioned against holding dual roles as FAZ president and as chairman of the FAZ National Teams Technical Committee.

By now, whatever reason compelled him to occupy both positions should have been resolved.

Alas, he is still holding on to both roles, where he is clearly failing – lamentably so – both as FAZ president and as National Teams Technical Committee chairperson.

Folks, this has been one of the sticking points for this administration. Keith can’t be reporting to himself; it goes against the basic norms of corporate governance and good practice because in the case of everything that’s happening, which of the two Keiths provides oversight for the other?

Considering everything that’s happening, is Keith the FAZ president supposed to be reprimanding Keith the Technical Committee chairperson?

For this reason, I am here to remind this gentleman – who needs no reminder – that if he cannot handle the FAZ presidency, he has an option: leave office voluntarily.

Unfortunately, I am not the kind of person who flatters authority. I do not suck up, nor do I engage in hero worshipping. Certainly not.

Currently, FAZ is operating without about *NINE* office bearers, which perhaps explains the inefficiency at Football House. But the elephant in the room is: why?

It remains a mystery why these positions have not been filled – at least the majority of them – when they have been vacant for months!

The association has no substantive General Secretary or Deputy General Secretary (Iva Lengwe is still acting in both positions!).

Lengwe also substantively holds the position of Club Licensing Manager, according to people who work at FAZ. In short, one person is juggling three roles!

There is no Technical Director following the resignation of Lyson Zulu, while the position of Head of Administration remains vacant after the departure of Col (Rtd) Andrew Siame.

FAZ also has no Youth Development Officer after Clifford Mulenga’s contract was not renewed. The association has no Marketing Manager and only has a Procurement Officer, as the position of Procurement Manager has remained vacant.

The Stores Officer position is held by Olipa Kangwa who remained alone after Henry Kawimbe and FAZ separated. There is no Provincial Leagues Manager following the departure of Phillip Zyambo.

The majority of subcommittees are non-functional. Judicial bodies are operating in a staccato manner (need you be surprised about the Zesco United Absa Cup fiasco?)

So, if one year down the line Keith cannot organize the management of Zambian football in an orderly and professional way as he promised during campaigns, why should we claim to be responsible leaders?

This is not only unacceptable – it is embarrassing, to say the least.

It is for this reason that I want to repeat this that Keith, as FAZ president, cannot continue as chairman of the FAZ Technical Committee.

That arrangement may have been made for administrative convenience, but one year down the line, that convenience should have been resolved.

It is important that good governance, transparency and accountability remain the cornerstones of this administration.

Keith was not chosen to be worse than those he replaced; he was elected to do better. Yet he is posting disastrous deliverables at an alarming rate!

The idea was to elect Keith for the better – and “the better” means he must immediately relinquish his role as chairperson of the FAZ Technical Committee at the earliest possible time.

Let me put it this way; and as plainly and simply as I can possibly do for ease of understanding:

Keith, the FAZ president, must fire Keith, the former MUZA owner. Alternatively, Keith, the former MUZA owner, must fire Keith, the FAZ president and return to club administration, where there is less scrutiny.

Admittedly, Keith should not be micromanaging people at Football House, but as FAZ president, he is constitutionally mandated to supervise the secretariat. After all, if anything goes wrong, he is the one who bears the brunt.

You see, club football administration and national football leadership can sometimes be like uncoordinated dance floor partners.

When one moves to the beat and not the lyrics, it may not necessarily matter, because you are answerable to no one but yourself as a club owner. So a bit of *vina mwamene wainvelela* is tolerable – after all, everything starts and ends with you, the owner(s) no matter your uncoordinated moves.

The other, however, dances to synchronized lyrics and rhythm – the heartbeat of an entire nation and if the beat, lyrics and your body cannot move in unison, that audition is bound to fail. And get exposed publicly.

Here, *vina mwamene wainvelela* is as unforgivable as eating the forbidden fruit.

What you do is closely monitored – from someone drinking katubi in Lavushimanda to someone enjoying chijabbo in Dundumwezi.

It has only been a year since Keith took over as FAZ president, but sometimes it feels like we are in for a long, brain-cell-frying ride because of the elementary mistakes at Football House and the inertia even in employing people to drive progress and deliver the results.

Maybe it is high time Keith said to himself, *”zakanga zakanga. Phala ilibe mankhwala,”* literally meaning, “what has failed has failed; a bald head has no cure – nothing can be done about it.”

And bounce!

*Disclaimer: if the contents of this article makes you catch wrong feelings, as usual, don’t blame me – you’re on your own!*