Government says they will only resume their administrative grant to Faz after the association repays what it spent outside their approved budget for Zambia’s 2008 Africa Cup of Nations outing.
Sports minister Gabriel Namulambe said this in Parliament today when he presented the eagerly awaited for 2008 Africa Cup Report to the House.
Namulambe said Faz should pay the overshot incurred from the player allowance dispute that threatened to disrupt Zambia’s Group C match against Cameroon in Kumasi on January 26.
He said the players were only due US$2000.00 but were misled by unnamed Faz official who alleged that they owed an extra US$500.00.
“This resulted in confusion when the players were paid US$2000.00 as winning bonuses after the game against Sudan (That Zambia won 3-0),” Namulambe said.
“As a result Government had to pay an additional US$500.00 to each player and official as not to dampen morale for the team.
“I regard such expenditure as wasteful and motivated by a few individuals in Faz for their own selfish ends. I feel this must be curbed.
“Mr. Speaker, it is against this background that I have stated that the administrative grant to Faz be suspended until we recover the money that they deliberately spent outside the approved budget.”
Namulambe however said that the administrative grant ban would not affect any funding to go directly to the Zambia national team’s international engagements for this year.
He also revealed that Government approved K5.8 billion budget for Zambia’s Africa Cup final campaign in Ghana out of which K2.4 billion was initially released for tickets and allowances.
That initial sum released included logistics for Zambia’s training camp in Spain.
“Thus, there was no shortage of money in the Zambian camp,” Namulambe said “.Had the team progressed; the whole budget would have been released.
“Faz had the approved budget before the team left for Spain for preparatory matches.”
And Namulambe said should money spent outside the approved budget not be refunded, the incoming Faz executive after the associations March 29 executive committee elections would have to justify their need for resumption of the administrative grant from Government.
If I were the minister, I wouldn’t spend money on FAZ but build sport infrastucture. That would be the wiser way to spend the “little” money govt has.
#1 I agree
Ba Namulambe bala Imona sana that is very Sad.We should have a more Humble Minister.
“honourbale Namulambe?”
“Yes?”
“Shut up.”
Ba Minister Please, WE dont pay back grants but we account for them.Just put to task Mulonga to account for the misappropriation and over spending even on players that he knew were not going to be part of the team.Please dont vote Mulonga back in office. This is yet another Ghana saga that FAZ have repeated over the years.
Iwe Mulonga is not the Accountant and does not do everything in FAZ.Besides most of the time the team travels there is a Govt accountant that travels too. You are in the USA you should understand division of labor and all that.
# 1 and 2. Can you please shut u-p. You are exhibiting ignorance of the waste kind.Namulambe is misdirecting him self. #5 excellent.
if the officials were NOT part of the additional $500 one could forgive FAZ and support them by saying it was an effort to preserve morale!!! Can FAZ explain on what basis “officials” were also given extra money??One can easily deduce as the minister obviously has, that the “officials” deliberatley incited revolt within the camp so as to benefit themselves!!when Simaata Simaata took the team to an Africa Cup some years ago we never heard of such cheap gymnastics by officials.Simaata and Andre Mtine preserved the dignity of being an “accompanying official”..they were not fazed by the prospect of an additional $500 !!!
But if extra money was paid to the players, why should faz refund pay it back to the ministry. The players were given the money albeit due to misinformation. Let the official wh misled the players be punished end of the story. No one store the money.
No wonder Zambia, generally, is in a state of disrepair. What with these kind of ministers. God bless Zambia
The fact that FAZ knew that Tana, and Nkausu were not on the list of players for the Ghana AFCON but decided to send them to Ghana was shamedful.That was share waste of the much needed resources and all the officials who were involved in that SAGA should be held accountable.
doesn’t FAZ have some money of its own ??? what do they do with the yearly grants/percentage of gatetakings at each league match,fines,registration fees, sponsorship monies etc ??? maybe what FAZ need is a CEO (general secretary)who can turn it into the money making machine it should be!!our focus on who is president is misplaced….we should pressure FAZ to employ a proper business manager accountable to a public board of directors.
Let Hanif lead the affairs in FAZ at least, by nature, he has some business idea to generate funds, than depend on a tax payer.
I have always insisted that all those outgoing FAZ executives should not have had the shameful courage to contest any post at the upcoming elections. No morals, no standards, no self-respect, just bare-teeth selfishness and uncivilized leadership behavior. These guys make FAZ leadership seem like any hooligan and thief can run FAZ, which is actually proving to be not too far from the truth!! The Minister is in order to demand accountability. FAZ should also be severely warned that if the new executive does not pull up its socks they face being managed directly by the Sports Permanent Secretary since they have been acting like kids left alone on a farm of ripe groundnuts without supervision!
#10.Dikara Dyobe I dont think FAZ should be planned for having asked Tana to travel to Ghana ,all FAZ were doing was to provide Patrick with all the man power he had requested for.After Phiri was satisfied with his defence he had no option but to drop Tana.
#10.Dikara Dyobe I dont think FAZ should be blamed for having asked Tana to travel to Ghana ,all FAZ were doing was to provide Patrick Phiri with all the man power he had requested for.After Phiri was satisfied with his defence he had no option but to drop Tana.
Ba minister what plans do you have for the money once it has been returned? at least we know where the money? what about the mismanaged of funds that was announced by the auditor general? will all the ministries pay back. There’s nothing wrong with our boys getting an extra $500 buck? “viwamila beve”. we are all entitled to copper, colbalt,zink, coal? let the boys have a ball with our copper money…..? who comaplains when you guys allocate yourselves millions in gratuities..nobody ? and thanks to the ” I don’t care attitude by zambians.”
Shame should be on Teddy Mulonga and his team.I wonder why Mulonga even wants to continue as FAZ president.This man has failed,why do our leaders hang on power despite failing to deliver as one could anticipate?Oh my God,Africa twasebana.Mulonga just call it a day and give chance to other people also to try their best.Great Kalu is the best man for FAZ.
Yes,Namulambe is right.Let FAZ officials account for the funds they misused in Ghana.Plus fire P.Phiri and F.Simukonda if our team is to qualify for World cup 2010 because we did bad in Ghana.We watched Chipolopolo games in Ghana with sadness,no coach,no defenders,etc.Use state funds well.