• VICE-President, Guy Scott meets CAF official and head of delegation, Amadou Diakite (right) at his office in Lusaka yesterday when the inspection team for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations bids paid a courtesy call on him. Picture by JEAN MANDELA

By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
REPUBLICAN Vice-President, Guy Scott has urged the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to give Zambia a chance to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)).
Scott said Zambia was well poised to host Africa’s biggest football jamboree as it had good infrastructure both for football and accompanying facilities like hotels and airports.
He said this when he addressed the three CAF Inspectors, who are in the country assessing Zambia’s ability to host the 2019 championship ahead of four other competitors, at his office in Lusaka yesterday.
Scott assured the CAF bid committee members that the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has Government’s full support over the bid.
“We are in a good position to host the Africa Cup in 2019. I know you are just looking at infrastructure but we have it all, we have the Heroes Stadium which we have just used once, we also have the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
“These are state-of-the-art structures. We will also build one more stadium in Livingstone and the hotels there are world class so there will be no problem. All is well here and even the weather is favourable,” he said.
The Vice-President was beefed up during the meeting by Sports Minister, Chishimba Kambwili and Local Government and Housing Minister Emmanuel Chenda, a former FAZ treasurer.
Scott, however, pointed out that the only challenge about Zambia would be coming up with all the required infrastructure for Mongu, saying while a stadium can be erected, the hotels and international airport might be tricky.
But FAZ has, conversely, removed Mongu from possible host sites for the AFCON and replaced it with Konkola Stadium in Chililabombwe and have also lined up Nkoloma Stadium as a possible match venue.
Scott said Zambia was a football crazy country starting with Zambia’s 2019 bid ambassador Kenneth Kaunda before he ended his address with a joke that “the CAF Executive need to pick the country that recently won the Africa Cup to host the 2019 tournament”.
Zambia is fighting it all against Ivory Coast, Guinea, Algeria and Cameroun. The Democratic Republic of Congo withdrew.
Kambwili said Government was committed and anxious to get the good news on September 20 and show how serious it was as this was the reason Chenda attended the meeting.
“This man you are seeing here is the Local Government and Housing Minister responsible for all infrastructure in the country and we called him here just to show you how serious we are about this bid and how much we want to win it,” Kambwili said as he pointed to Chenda.
Earlier, the CAF Inspection team comprising delegation leader Amadou Diakite, Paul Bassey and Amr Fahmy paid a courtesy call on First Republican president Kaunda at his residence where the Zambia bid ambassador called on the CAF team to do a good job.
“I hope you have enjoyed yourselves here and seen all we have to offer. I am happy you have Kalusha in the entourage guiding you through because I can’t tell you anymore than this young man can tell you,” he said.
Kaunda urged Sports Permanent Secretary Agnes Musunga to show the CAF team all that Zambia can offer so they make a right decision about the hosting before stating that Zambia had a warm and welcoming citizenry.
Diakite said he was humbled to be addressed by renowned statesman like Kaunda adding that in their two days of inspection, there have found everything to be well in order and an extremely friendly people.
The delegation also toured the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) studios where the national broadcaster through its Director of Programmes, Berry Lwando said his institution was in a good position to televise the AFCON.
Lwando said ZNBC was presently feeding Sport-Five and that the picture and sound from last weekend’s CAF Confederations Cup match between Nkana and Al Ahly which the former won 1-0 was good.
The CAF Inspection team shifts to the Copperbelt today before going to Livingstone where the inspection would be wrapped up.