FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya’s alleged corrupt activities were laid bare by UK’s Sunday Times with emails between the former international star and Qatar official Mohammed Bin Hammam’s team revealing he solicited bribes to help influence Africa’s votes for the 2022 World Cup.
During the same time the alleged emails were exchanged, Hammam was also campaigning to unseat Sepp Blatter as FIFA president. The PF aligned Post Newspaper carried the following article.
Kalusha is also a member of the CAF executive committee whose president Issa Hayatou is accused of receiving bribes worth US$400, 000.
The Zambian former star for his part is alleged to have scooped a cool US$ 80, 000 supplied in two batches of US$50, 000 and US$30, 000 respectively.
By Sydney Mungala
Fri 29 Apr. 2011, 15:40 CAT [3120 Reads, 0 Comment(s)]
THE Football Association of Zambia is set to back the candidature of Mohammed Bin Hammam for the FIFA presidency.
Hammam of Qatar, who is also head of the Asian Football Confederation, is standing against FIFA president Sepp Blatter during its 61st congress to be held on June 1 at FIFA House in Zurich, Switzerland.
According to highly placed sources in Zurich, FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya has committed to backing Hammam after the Qatari backed him for the CAF executive committee membership position that he won in February.
Blatter is reportedly upset by the decision as he bids for a fourth term in office since succeeding Brazilian Joao Havelange in June, 1998.
“Yes, we understand your president Mr Kalusha Bwalya is supporting Hammam for FIFA elections in June,” the source said.
“The move has upset Mr Blatter who has been banking on Bwalya’s support for the elections. Mr Hammam supported Kalusha for the CAF position. So it is just a matter of payback time.”
According to the source, Bin Hammam’s campaign trail has reached Africa with visits to CECAFA and WAFU who run the game in East and West Africa respectively.
The source said Bin Hammam is hoping Bwalya can help garner COSAFA’s backing ahead of the regional soccer body’s meeting this Friday in Johannesburg to discuss the matter.
Attempts to contact Bwalya on the development failed as his phone was answered by his communications officer Erick Mwanza who said the FAZ president was unavailable for comment.
However, FAZ vice- president Boniface Mwamelo was non-committal but said Football House will make the decision after an executive committee meeting in May.
“Mr Bin Hammam is Mr Bwalya’s personal friend but we have not yet decided. But that decision is not going to be up to Kalusha,” Mwamelo said.
“We are going to hold a meeting in the first week May that is when we are going to decide.”
Bin Hammam, 61, has served on the FIFA executive committee for the last 15 years and supported his country’s successful bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
As Asian zone president, he presided over the creation of the AFC Champions League and Australia’s inclusion into the regional body in 2006.
Source: The Post
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