Opinion: Reject The Draft FAZ Constitution; Get Rid Of Those Two Thieves
As the FAZ general membership meets in Lusaka for an Emergency Council Meeting to discuss two agenda items, we send an earnest appeal to the distinguished men and women to reject the draft constitution and find an alternative suggestion that will still consider lower league teams in the Electoral College. This is in the interest of football. Doing away with the lower league from the decision making structure is not being done in the spirit of developing the game.
FAZ councillors should also hear suspended vice-president Richard Kazala and committe member Blackwell Siwale’s excupaltory statements after which they should decide to keep these thieves away from the game.
It’s a fact. Nothing has generated more debate on the on-going FAZ constitutional amendments than the fear that lower division clubs may be isolated from the game. More so that FAZ elective meetings have been one of highest auction points in history with a candidate at the last FAZ Annual General Meeting having thrown away K800, 000 on the eve of the election just to win. And he was not even a candidate for the top position.
Delegates from across the country scramble for a ticket from their clubs to be part of the party that brings in excess of about 350 delegates together. Once the suggestion that the number of delegates be reduced was broached, it became an opportunity to scandalize the process.
However, the process itself has not been handled well by those in authority. They could have done a better job but chose shoddy works which has exposed them. It’s true that if one has attended elective FAZ AGM, they would have been witness to the chaos that takes place on the eve and also actual day of the elections.
No reasonable discourse takes place with agenda items simply cast aside with the sole focus on elections. Moreover not even an organization with the mighty and resource pool as FIFA gathers such an incredible number of people for their congress.
What FIFA proposes on the Electoral College appears to be a step in sanitizing meetings and ensuring that associations are a lot more prudent in selecting delegates to meetings.
The proposed Electoral College for an elective AGM will cut the number of delegates to 120 with 80 or 100 votes up for grabs. While this is important, it should not be done to complete ignore the lower league teams for they too deserve the right to vote.
The proposed FAZ constitution breaks the Electoral College Super Division, Division One apportioning them 20 votes each. Of note will be each Provincial Association having two delegates each with one vote with associations like the Referees Association of Zambia and Zambia Football Coaches also allotted voting rights.
Here is how Article 21 that deals with delegates is couched under the proposed constitution.
ARTICLE 21 DELEGATES AND VOTES
1. The Council is comprised of 120 delegates and 80 votes. The number of delegates as allocated as follows.
a) 20 Super League Clubs, who shall each have two delegates and one vote each;
b) 20 Division One Members, who shall each have two delegates and one vote each;
c) Two Women League (Copperbelt and Lusaka) Members, who shall each have two delegates and one vote;
d) For each of the 10 Provincial Associations 3 delegates and 3 votes (2 delegates representing Division 2 and 3) and 1 delegate representing the Amateur leagues;
e) For the Referees Association of Zambia 2 delegates and 1 vote
f) For the Zambia Football Coaches Association 2 delegates and 1 vote
g) For the Zambia Higher Institutions Sports Associations 2 delegates and 1 vote
h) For the Zambia Schools Football Association 2 delegates and 1 vote
i) Futsal and Beach Soccer League 2 delegates and 1 vote
j) Players Association 2 delegates and 1 vote
2. Delegates must belong to the member that they represent and be appointed or elected by the appropriate body of that member. They must also be able to produce evidence of this upon request
This provision, and many others, are not in the interest of football development. They will kill our game. However, an alternative constitution circulated by Athletics Football Club provides for an inclusive Electoral College and gives various stipulation to a better way of addressing the constitution challenge Zambian football is faced with. Councillors have the power to reject the FAZ draft constitution and propose a document that best suit their interest.
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