By MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –
FORMER Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) executive committee member Henchel Chitembeya has said Football House is not being sincere by stating that they incurred losses from the hosting of international games in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
FAZ currently owes Levy Mwanawasa Stadium management in excess of K1 million, which dates back from 2013 during the Brazil 2014 World Cup and Equatorial Guinea 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers respectively, while an undisclosed amount is owed to Heroes National Stadium.
FAZ general secretary George Kasengele last week said the debt  resulted from the losses made during some of the international games that also included expenses incurred during Zambia’s hosting of the 2013 COSAFA Senior Challenge tournament.
But Chitembeya yesterday said that it was impossible for FAZ to make losses from hosting international matches.
“Let’s put football politics aside and face the truth. I served in the FAZ executive committee together with the same people who are in leadership and at no point did we incur losses from a full international match.
“Yes, losses are made and this only happens when the under-17, 20 and 23 squads or women teams are playing but not the men’s senior team. I am talking from experience,” Chitembeya said.
He said it was unfortunate that FAZ had failed to settle a K1 million debt when the association hauled about K16 million in games revenue over the last two years.
“It will be difficult for Zambians to believe Kasengele’s version of the story because FAZ has never been transparent and accountable on the gate takings and as far as I know after serving as a committee member. FAZ makes money from hosting Chipolopolo games and I think they should own up and pay the debt,” he said.
He said using the Nkoloma Stadium in Lusaka in a bid to run away from paying venue fees at ultra-modern stadia as Kasengele stated, would only damage Zambia’s high profile in terms of football infrastructure on the international scene.
Meanwhile, Levy Mwanawasa Stadium director, Mwifwa Ng’ambi said his management had never charged FAZ exorbitant fees for the use of the facility.
He said the stadium gave Football House a discounted rate of K185,000 per game, making Zambia the cheapest as the international commercial rate was K268,000.
“I don’t know the exorbitant fees Kasengele is talking about because the K185,000 we charge is over a round table and it’s on paper. Our job is to ensure that the stadium is ready for the game,” Ng’ambi said.
Kasengele said FAZ spends about K400,000 to host an international match at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium.
Match security, match stewards, first aiders, snacks for VIP sections, ushers and transport for the visiting teams and referees are some of the logistical expenses that FAZ incurs from hosting of international games.
MTN Zambia are the main sponsors for the Chipolopolo and used to dish out US$250,000 to the national team every year in a sponsorship deal with FAZ that was revised upwards last year.