By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –

. INFANTINO

FOOTBALL Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Kalusha Bwalya says Zambia will fully support newly-elected FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Infantino was elected FIFA boss on Friday after tight elections in which he defeated Africa’s preferred candidate Sheikh Salman, who is the president of the Asian Football Confederation, former FIFA executive Jerome Champagne of France, and Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan.
Kalusha, in congratulating Infantino, said yesterday that FAZ was behind Infantino’s ambitious programme to take football forward as the world body reels from scandals that saw the departure of iconic president Joseph Sepp Blatter.
“Congratulations to Gianni (Infantino). He has our full confidence. FIFA members will rally behind him.
“He has an ambitious programme for world football which we, as Zambia, will support,” Kalusha said.
Kalusha is an executive member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) who had preferred Sheikh Salman ahead of Infantino.
In his victory speech, Infantino said elections were in the past and the good of football should take over.
He said he would be a president for all, those who voted for him or not.
Kalusha spoke highly of Infantino’s ambitions for football development and that they will fit in FIFA’s next step of recovery.
He also expressed happiness that the FIFA congress had passed the reforms that would improve the world’s perception about football administration and take football to the next level.
“FIFA members will rally behind Infantino. It is great that the reforms were approved. It is the beginning of the recovery of FIFA,” Kalusha said.
Among the FIFA reforms will be the disclosure of salaries for the FIFA president, all its council members, the secretary general and relevant chairpersons of independent standing and judicial committees every year.
The term of office for  the FIFA president and other committee members will be limited to three or four years each.
Blatter had just won his fifth term before he unceremoniously resigned.
FIFA also agreed to separate political and managerial functions and to also promote women in football by having a minimum of one female representative at each confederation.
And FAZ club licensing manager Erick Mwanza said Zambia will be expectant that the new president will scale-up the development of football, especially in the area of training referees and coaches, and development of women football.
He said there was no need to look at Africa as a continent that preferred Sheikh Salman, stating that the election should not break bonds or bring divisions.
“An election is simply a process through which leaders are put in office and should never be allowed to bring divisions.
“Football should be the winner at the end of this all and football development should continue,” he said.