May 12 – Keith Mweemba will serve as the new president of the Zambian FA for a five-year term after he defeated incumbent Andrew Kamanga in a vote.
A lawyer and founder of Maestro United Zambia (MUZA) FC, Mweemba prevailed in the polls, collecting 45 votes, 25 more than Kamanga, whose nine-year tenure at the helm of the Zambia Football Association (FAZ) has come to an end.
Kamanga was seeking a third five-year term in office.
Mweemba will lead FAZ until 2029. The field of candidates also included former FAZ General Secretary Adrian Kashala, who received 17 votes, and Francis Hafwiti and Emmanuel Munaile. Mutale Ng’andu was elected as vice president. FIFA’s senior manager for member associations governance Ahmed Harraz was among those supervising the election according to the Lusaka Times.
It’s a major defeat for Kamanga, who also failed to obtain a seat in the FIFA Council after he was given support from Cosafa, the regional governing body for Southern Africa, and Cecafa, the regional governing body for East Africa.
In 2016, Kamanga came to power, ousting Zambian football legend Kalusha Bwalya. He faced criticism for not acting decisively against former Zambia women’s team coach Bruce Mwape, who is at the heart of sexual misconduct allegations. Last year, Zambia’s drug enforcement commission charged Kamanga with fraud and conspiracy to defraud. He was briefly arrested by authorities.
In February, it seemed as if Kamanga had been re-elected and received a pathway to another term in office after eight nominees were disqualified.
In a statement, Kamanga said: “While the results did not go in our favour, I accept the decision of the FAZ Council with humility and respect. I extend my congratulations to Mr. Keith Mweemba and his team, and I wish them success as they take on the responsibility of leading Zambian football forward.”
“I leave this office with my head held high, proud of the foundation we laid from restoring structure and integrity to the game, to qualifying teams for major tournaments across all levels, including historic milestones in women’s and youth football.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino sent his well wishes to the new administration.
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