A FEW THINGS MUST BE CLASSIFIED ON “KEITH MWEEMBA WILL BANKRUPT FAZ
I have taken time to read through the long write-up circulating which claims that FAZ is heading towards liquidation because of advisory committees, alleged tribal appointments and what has been described as “a well-coordinated ploy to cause confusion from the top.”
Strong accusations. Very serious accusations actually.
But when emotions settle, football people must begin separating facts from assumptions.
First of all, as one of the members of the much-talked-about 44-member Strategic Planning Committee, let me make something very clear: At no point have I personally witnessed this so-called “daily fighting over allowances” being presented as fact in the article.
That statement may sound attractive for social media engagement, but from inside the process, the engagements have largely been professional and focused on trying to shape a long-term football roadmap.
Yes, there have been debates. Yes, there have been differing opinions. That is normal in any serious strategic process involving administrators, club representatives, media personalities and football stakeholders.
But reducing the entire process to “44 cadres fighting over allowances” is unfair and honestly misleading.
Some of us joined that process because we genuinely care about the future direction of Zambian football, not because we are chasing envelopes.
And let us also be honest with ourselves: A national football strategic plan is not prepared like a Facebook caption. These are processes that require consultations, drafts, reviews, corrections and validation.
The second issue is this idea that every committee created under Keith Mweemba automatically becomes “a scam.”
That is also unfair.
Modern football administration is driven by structures:
• Technical committees
• Marketing committees
• Licensing committees
• Governance committees
• Commercial advisory teams
Even FIFA and CAF themselves survive on committee systems.
So merely creating a commercial and marketing advisory committee cannot automatically be interpreted as corruption or financial sabotage.
In fact, for years people have complained that Zambian football lacks strong commercial direction, sponsorship attraction and innovative revenue generation.
Now when an administration attempts to involve people with business and marketing expertise, suddenly it becomes: “social engineering.” “a bogus scheme.” “a liquidation plan.”
Surely we can debate football governance without turning every decision into a conspiracy theory.
The article also dangerously drifts into tribal language and political labeling. Words like “tribesmen,” “sycophants,” “goons” and “cadres” may create emotional reactions, but they weaken objective football discussion.
We can criticize leadership without poisoning football conversations with tribal suspicion.
Now, does this mean FAZ should not be questioned? No.
The football family absolutely has the right to ask:
• Are committees producing results?
• Are finances being managed properly?
• Are appointments strategic?
• Is there accountability?
Those are fair questions.
But saying Football House “will be liquidated” simply because committees exist is excessive.
Football administration is not as simple as: “remove everyone and everything becomes fine tomorrow.”
FAZ has inherited long-standing structural and financial challenges. Delayed salaries, technical vacancies, sponsorship concerns and governance debates did not begin yesterday.
These are football problems that require systems, planning and institutional rebuilding.
And perhaps the biggest irony in all this is that people normally complain football leaders do not consult enough stakeholders. But when broader groups are brought into conversations, suddenly the same consultation process becomes “recklessness.”
So what exactly do we want? Consultation or isolation?
As we say in Chewa:
“Phokoso la nkhwangwa silitanthauza kuti mtengo wagwa.”
“The sound of an axe does not mean the tree has fallen.”
Noise, criticism and dramatic predictions can create panic, but they do not always reflect reality. Football governance must be questioned constructively, not through exaggerated conclusions that present assumptions as confirmed collapse.
By the way, am in Choma This afternoon watching Green Eagles taking on Zesco United
By Bwezani with Zambian Football