•CAF inspector Amr Fahmy (left) and FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya (right) confer as communication manager Nkweto Tembwe looks on shortly after the CAF officials arrived at Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA) in Lusaka yesterday. Picture by JEAN MANDELA
By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
ZAMBIA’S bid to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals comes under scrutiny today when a team of Confederation of African Football (CAF) inspectors start their assessment of the country’s facilities.
Amr Fahmy from Egypt was the first of the five inspectors to arrive yesterday aboard Ethiopian Airlines and was received by Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Kalusha Bwalya.
The remaining four Paul Bassey, Amadou Diakite, Adoum Djibrine and Walter Gagg were expected to jet in later yesterday and today ahead of the inspection that starts in Lusaka before moving to the Copperbelt and Livingstone.
Zambia is fighting it out for the right to host the 2019 edition against Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Algeria while the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) pulled out of the race and the successful bidder will be announced next month.
Speaking in an interview upon arrival at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA), Fahmy said Zambia was the last country the inspectors were visiting and that the team has come to inspect not the quality but the facilities FAZ had proposed in the bid.
He said his team will merely inspect the facilities that were already in place and will look at the proposed plans for the other amenities yet to be completed.
“We are here not to inspect the quality but the facilities that FAZ has proposed and the one that are already in place and those proposed to be built.
For example, we have been told that there are plans to have a stadium built in Livingstone, we shall see the plans and make a report based on what we will see and then it will be up to CAF to make the final decision as to who will host the 2019 Africa Cup finals,” he said.
Meanwhile, the inspectors are today expected to tour the Heroes National Stadium and other training and accommodation facilities within Lusaka.
They will then head to Chililabombwe to check on the Konkola Stadium as a Match Venue on Tuesday and also see Watson Stadium as well as Nchanga Stadium in Chingola which have been listed as practice venues while Protea Hotel has been lined up to cater for accommodation.
On the same day, they will also visit the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola which is the match Venue with the training and accommodation facilities in Ndola and Kitwe including Moba Hotel.
