Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has on Friday dismissed with costs an appeal application filled by African football legend Kalusha Bwalya alias Great Kalu.
Bwalya had petitioned CAS on 2nd March 2020 challenging the decision by the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) to bar him from contesting for the association’s Presidency.
According to the screening process done by FAZ integrity committee, only three candidates including the incumbent President Andrew Kamaga were eligible to contest. The other two included FAZ former Vice-President, Emmanuel Munaile and Sports Administrator Joseph Nkole,
Richard Kazala, Suzyo Nkole and Bwalya on the other hand were disqualified, a decision that left the latter furious thus making an appeal to CAS.
The FAZ elections were supposed to take place on 28th March 2020, but due to the escalating health concerns in regard to the COVID-19 Pandemic, FIFA advised that the process is postponed and Kamaga remains in control until a new date is set.
“In this respect, we hereby would like to show our full understanding of the situation currently faced by the FAZ and by many others of our member associations. Bearing in mind the present circumstances of an extraordinary nature, we support the postponement of the remaining steps of the electoral process until the health risk be cleared at national level. We therefore kindly request FAZ to provide us a regular update on the above,” reads part of the letter from FIFA’s Chief Member Association Officer, Véron Mosengo-Omba.
“Finally, for the sake of completeness, we would like to highlight that the aforementioned postponement of FAZ elections is not incidental on the mandate of the incumbent Executive Committee which shall remain in office until elections are held.”
Bwalya featured for the Zambia National team in 87 international matches, scoring 39 goals from 1983 to 2004.
He was President of FAZ between for eight years between 2008- 2016On 20 March 2016, before losing the seat to the incumbent Kamanga.
In August, 2018, the world soccer governing body FIFA banned Bwalya for two years from all football-related activities at both national and international level.
The FIFA adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee found him guilty of having violated article 16 (Confidentiality) and article 20 (Offering and accepting gifts and other benefits) of the FIFA Code of Ethics. It is alleged that Bwalya received a bribe in the form of a gift from Mohammed Bin Hammam, a Qatari official.
