Daily Nation Newspaper

WHY THREE?

... aggrieved in FAZ squabbles question FIFA

- By MUKWIMA CHILALA

THEaggriev­ed parties in the Football Associatio­n of Zambia (FAZ) electoral process are yet to receive correspond­ence from the FAZ and FIFA regarding who attends the October 31 virtual meeting with FIFA.

Lawyers representi­ng the aggrieved, Gilbert Phiri, says they had long written to FIFA and FAZ seeking clarificat­ion on the criteria to be used for attendance to the meeting and how it was arrived at that only three members from the aggrieved would attend.

Phiri says they don’t know why it had been narrowed down to three when there were so many aggrieved parties some of whom did not concern elections.

He says that when they attended the stakeholde­rs meeting with the sports council, it was establishe­d that aggrieved parties were many some of whom comprised administra­tors such as Blackwell Siwale, Elijah Chileshe, Pivoty Simwanza and many other whose matters did not even relate to elections. Phiri however says the aggrieved parties are ready for the October 31 meeting with FIFA and that they were looking forward to resolving the issues surroundin­g the electoral process.

“There are so many aggrieved parties but if FIFA narrowed it down then we don’t know what they mean. We wrote to them to ask what these three representa­tives are all about so that we are all clear what they mean when they say three representa­tives. So our letter has not been answered up to now and we don’t know why it has been narrowed to three representa­tives,” Phiri said.

On the face of it, there are three who went to court over elections, these are the aggrieved parties over the electoral process. Now as to whether that’s what FAZ and FIFA is referring to I don’t know because there are so many aggrieved parties and some of the grievances have nothing to do with elections. We hope we can receive clarificat­ion from FIFA and FAZ before the said date.

FAZ and the aggrieved parties in the electoral process are set to meet FIFA in a virtual meeting aimed at ironing out the wrangles that had engulfed Zambian football.

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