December 10, 2009
FAZ President Kalusha is a 2010 World Cup ambassador.
South Africa 2010 World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC) spokesperson Richard Mkhondo yesterday confirmed that FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya admitted and apologised for slapping Post sports journalist Augustine Mukoka.
And South Africa Police Services (SAPS) spokesperson Vishnu Naidoo yesterday said the police were investigating Mukoka’s assault case and after the investigation they will consult prosecutors on the way forward.
In a telephone interview from South Africa, Mkhondo said he attended a FIFA arranged reconciliatory meeting between Kalusha and Mukoka, and the FAZ chief apologised to the latter.
Asked if Kalusha admitted slapping Mukoka, Mkhondo responded: “Yes! He said he overreacted. Yes! I was in the meeting between Mr Emmanuel Maradas, your journalist, him Kalusha Bwalya and the police officer. He Kalusha apologised; he said it was in a heat of a moment and he believes that he overreacted and he is sorry about that. That is all.”
He said FIFA official Emmanuel Maradas called him to help make peace because the incident happened at his event in South Africa.
“So I won’t say he apologised and explained what he did. But on my part I want to say to you, I was not there when the incident happened or it didn’t happen. I was asked by FIFA to be one of the peacemakers,” said Mkhondo. “I was asked to intervene so that the matter could be resolved and that is what I did. So it’s not for me to confirm whether Mr Bwalya slapped him or he didn’t slap him because I was not there.”
And Naidoo confirmed that the police had started investigating the case.
“I can confirm that a case has been opened by the complainant but I cannot tell you against whom because our policy in South Africa is that the name of the suspect can only be divulged after he has appeared in court,” said Naidoo in a telephone interview from South Africa. “There are names that have been mentioned in the complainants’ statement, names of police officers that apparently witnessed the incident. Statements must be taken. On completion of the investigation, we will consult our prosecutors to make a decision on how to proceed with the matter.”
Meanwhile, former FAZ president Michael Chiti has said described the incident as unfortunate.
Chiti advised Zambians to counsel the two parties rather than condemning anyone.
“If the incident really happened, then it is unfortunate that it happened,” Chiti, who supported Bwalya for issuing a ban to players offering interviews to the media, said.
But football administrator Kizzy Moonga has said Bwalya’s conduct should be condemned.
Moonga urged FAZ and FIFA to take appropriate disciplinary action against Bwalya.
He questioned how Kalusha would discipline erring clubs and players when he himself was indisciplined.
“As president of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), Kalu should be under no illusions that he will be cheered in football administration the way he was cheered on the pitch during his hey days.
“If the FAZ president is the first one to start trading punches, then I am afraid our Zambian football stadia shall be turned into boxing rings. I am not thrilled by his behaviour and I am afraid he must as well start sparring with Esther Phiri in readiness for the latter’s fight next year. After all Esther Phiri seems to be in dire need of a hard punching sparring partner like Kalu.”
Mfuwe member of parliament Mwimba Malama said the incident shows that Bwalya was not a leader and an administrator.
“This is even how he has failed to manage FAZ, he’s supposed to show maturity. People should learn something from this. The fact that he played football does not mean he can be a good football administrator,” Malama said.
“People claiming to be leaders should learn to be humble and not arrogant and therefore should understand and reason in a mature way. He should respect and realise that there is a government, there are people and that he is not an island where he should not be attacked and criticised. He should admit that Zambians are not happy. He can’t afford to silence us. We condemn the act,” he said.
Malama hoped the law would take its course and that justice prevails in the matter currently under investigations in South Africa.
“I hope the South Africa police will act. People are not happy with football in Zambia. Football has gone below par. He shouldn’t pretend all is fine in FAZ but should listen to people criticising him that they may offer good advice to him,” he said.
Bwalya admitted slapping Mukoka in seperate interviews with the Zambia Daily Mail and Times of Zambia as published on Monday.
However, Bwalya refuted his admission made to the Zambia Daily Mail and Times of Zambia giving another statement to ZNBC and aired on the 19:00 main news on Monday.
Bwalya claimed to ZNBC that the matter had been blown out of proportion and that he never slapped Mukoka in what he described as a minor incident.
[The Post]
41 Comments on "SA official confirms Kalu slapped Post journalist"
| COPYRIGHT © 2007-2011 Zamfoot Sports Agency. All rights reserved. |
Asilikale on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 9:18 AM
Lol this luks a 3way system,either these two reconcile and mukoka drop the case against kalu.
Its ovious south cops are on kalus side anythng can happen no wonder these cops guys are consultng the prosecutors instead of forwardng the docket to prosecution.
A thirt way its one am waitng for…..it wont be gud.
The best is for kalu to plead and drop down as faz president,and whoops all zambians will be all smile chabe !
Asilikale on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 9:21 AM
Yo coment is hatred based on post paper,cn u re-submit a better coment jerem.
I suport u on reconciliation ua ryt.
Asilikale on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 9:24 AM
@jeremia
by the way what dou mean by saying,”lets not take thngs personal”?
Dou mean that this was suppozd to be NATIONAL or INTERNATIONAL.
Georgia Russia on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 9:46 AM
am not supporting kalu’s actions but this is one case that can be resolved. tha fact that emmanuel maradas sat them down in the presence of the police chief and apologised,i guess thats means alot. right now one would think mukoka is intrested in bringing kalu down and increasing on the post sales.this can be sorted out between the two. all those calling for kalu to step down are doing it out of personal hatrage or fifa to suspend kalu are not being fair.we are human and we make mistakes.
win on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 11:16 AM
Let us put our minds to the most important things than thinking backwards! This is too trivial in this modern era to throw all our mind to these issues! Zambia is poor because as individuals we do not take stock of our daily lives and the way we associate with people; above all respecting everybody irrespective of anything! What made Kalu slap Augustine if the complainant can explain to us? What did he say that annoyed Kalu to slap him and were they in a maltitude during the fracas? Depending the verbatism, we will judge who was disrespectiful though Kalu was 100% wrong to go beyond!!! But I sense that Augustine’s talk was lacking respect of elders especially with Kalu’s standings! This sports journalist in my own thinking can benefit more if he start reporting objectively or confirm reports with Kalu before coming up this one-sided articles! I mean he is very young needing to learn the ropes! It puts us off as readers that the front page is political and even the sports page is getting personal! Where are we going as Zambians and where is the respect of the authority! Can we sale an individual for selfish interests or on personal vendata! Where is our Godlyness as christians? Let us talk of the possible AFCON team and preps we need to excel in the tournament than this bottomless, baseless matter!
DaMwiinger on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 12:09 PM
@Georgia Russia
For the avoidance of doubt, I am calling for Kalu’s resignation because he has failed us. I have nothing against him as a person, I dont even know him. Let’s try to talk real issues. Regardless of Augustine’s motives, Kalu’s behaviour is unacceptable and is further proof that all he is/was is a great player. Administration is not his cup of tea. he should do the honourable thing and step down if he is still to muster everyone’s respect like he did when he was a player.
DaMwiinger on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 12:12 PM
@Chamz
You are exhibiting yet again your rather unholy allegiance to Kalu to the extent of praising his evil ways. How can that be progressive for him or for our football and country in any way? is this not one of the reasons we are where we are as a country? Hero whorshipping which even breeds corruption. Where are our ethics people?
Kabamba on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 12:19 PM
Ba Post……
You are a let done!
Thanks to ba Kalu for teacching Shushushu’s like Mukoka a lesson.
Leave Kalu alone and save mother Zambia from petty shame
Richie on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 12:42 PM
Thats the thing about leadership-one can not cease to be human when he becomes a leader but he is expected to stop certain things and actions.yes kalu is human but his status as an international leader can not allow him to be a hard-slapping leader hence he should receive the appropriate punishment for his conduct.The sad thing is that this saga will have an effect on our preps for afcon cos the man at the helm of faz has to attend to this matter.THE BIGGEST ENEMY TO ZAMBIA’S PROGRESS IS NO ONE OTHER THAN ZAMBIA HERSELF.
Seen from afar on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 2:10 PM
@Chamz What kind of attitude is that?
It sounds like SA is dealing with this issue for us, which is good. Maybe it means Kalu will come back down to earth after being dragged through the dirt. It’s all just hopeful thinking for the best outcome though. Not that i can say what that is with any real certainty.
The recent article on Post website goes something like: Kalu denies assault… Rubbish article, in the articles quotes, Kalu does not deny it, he says don’t blow it out of proportion. So over excited journalism there!!! Then someone from the Post refers to the incident as a boxing match! Post you can at least make sure your articles are tight, if you are involved in the incident being reported, garbage all round.
Skillari on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 2:16 PM
Is that Kalu’s wife in the picture?
If yes, why is Masinga in between the couple.
Iyeeeee! hope not! pantu buga uyu mukote!
Justice Kafusha on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 2:22 PM
Certain issues are not worthwhile commenting. At times it is better to ignore certain issues, especially issues that will never take Zambian football anywhere. The problem of Kalu and Mukoka is not a football issue, so why not let the 2 figure out
Ba ZAMFOOT do u know whether FAZ have arranged any friendly games?
Amuna Onzuna on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 4:11 PM
Ba DaMwiinger,have you ever been embarrased before in full view of the people that respect you(I mean a sort of embarrasment like someone arrogantly saying something bad about your Mum?),and if you have been in that situation,how was the flow of adrenalin in your body,didnt you want to tear that person to pieces?. Im trying to make a picture of what really could have happenned coz I dont think Kalu was wrong to advice Mukoka to write positive things about the National Team other than writting personal things.So,it depends on what and how Mukoka responded.In as much as it is shameful for Kalu to slap the Guy,its also very evil to pull someone down coz thats boaders on jealous and God doesnt allow that.The hatred towards Kalu started from the time he was taking the duo roles(FAZ-VICE & TEAM COACH),people didnt like him and they have continued with that jealous of trying to completely finnish him.This Guy deserves to be appreciated,did I hear that FAZ is arranging for a friendly match for Chipolopolo with Spain?,if its true,then lets appreciate his connection,he is not as timid as most of us Zambians.
DaMwiinger on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 4:19 PM
@Chamz
Chamz, can you just re-read your reply to Ba Zambia and tell me exactly what you mean?
For me the issue has nothing to do with the Post, but Kalu’s behaviour. It is immaterial who he did it to or what has subsequently been said by the Post, some of it out of the way. CEOs don’t go out slapping people and saying unprintables in public like he did. That’s my point and has always been my point. He has shown us enough to conclude that he is not an administrator.
You believe that people should finish their term and I respect that. What am wondering is whether in your believe there is room for people to reflect and see whether they are achieving the set objectives and act accordingly. Also, is their room for people to resign on moral grounds without being pushed to do so? In my view, you can’t just stay put and say my term hasn’t finished even when it’s blutantly obvious that you are failing. I ask you again, at what point do you say “enough, this is not acceptable”? For how long will you accept mediocrity because one’s term hasn’t expired?
If you were running a business and you employ someone on a 3 year contract. Do you keep that guy working even when he has messed up big time and is running your business to its death?
DaMwiinger on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 4:32 PM
@Amuna Onzuna
Kalu is not just anybody, he is the CEO of the FA. He should behave like one. And to answer your question directly, yes I have been in such situations before and dealing with people who are opposed to me and calling me names on a daily basis in my face. And oh I tell you on many occassions I felt like beating the hell out of them and telling them things that would make them regret their very existence. And you know what? Never did I slap any of them. And do you know what the outcome of all that was? I earned their respect. that’s what’s expected of people in Kalu’s position. have you seen the things that the media is saying about Tiger Woods and have you noticed his response? That’s called professional behaviour.
And if Kalu was so wronged, why did he apologise and say he over-reacted? For the record, I am not an opponent of Kalu as a person. He is human like me and he obviously has frailties, one of which is poor administration. If he could recognise that, he would do himself and all stakeholders a favour and let those with the abilities do it. He should concetrate on what he is good at i.e. football. Let him be a pundit or start coaching, administration is not his cup of tea. He can do so much being involved directly in football than running it. think of the motivation he could give to all kids who aspire to be like him.
Let’s put our personal allegiances aside and see things for what they really are
Mabbwana on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 5:31 PM
I will stand with the big man and let this one pass. But abena Chamz…..
Positive thinking ..aka Awe on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 5:33 PM
Bane, why is it that people other than Zambians are out there standing up for Kalu while we are so prepared to lynch the man. He was wrong!!!! Yes. He overreacted?!! Oh hell yes. As you can see, they tried to handle this issue in a closed door meeting, but instead it is still being pursued with such viciousness. From reading some of what has been said, you would think that Mukoka was attacked by Stone Cold or something. If POST want to pursue this legally, then do so but keep it out of the papers. Why are we emberassing one of the few people who is doing something positive for this country in his travels. Granted he is not a great FAZ President, but I’m sure he has been a great ambassador for the FIFA world cup. I say live and let live. If FAZ also want to pursue discplinary action, then let them do so. I’m sure if the FAZ constitution has something in it concerning such then they should by all means pursue it. Bottom line is lets deal with our dirty laundry like professionals not have it out in the street for the world to see.
ROK on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 5:53 PM
Having followed this debate, there are basically two schools of thought, i.e. those who are saying Kalu was right and those who are saying he was wrong. I am personally disturbed to learn that, among our midst, there are people who are congratulating Kalu for what he has done. During this era and age surely do we need to resolve our differences through physical confrontations? I do not care who is on which side but as i have already said THERE IS NO RIGHT WAY OF DOING A WRONG THING. Where both parties claim to be right, that is why we have Laws to follow. We should not encourage lawlessness else a strong neighbour will willfully attack the weak one and get away with it. Laws are there to protect everyone equitably. The late Goal King, Godfrey ‘Ucar’ Chitalu, with 107 goals was a great man (MHSRIP) till that tragic Gabon accident but he humbled himself. Pele is yet to slap a journalist. Let us encourage Kalu to change his negative to positive behaviour because at the rate he is going, he is accelerating his destiny to infamous. I mean he is breaking new negative recors, for instance he never got a red card during his playing days but only to get one after having stopped playing. FAZ sent less than a football team to London under his leadership and now he has become the first FAZ President to slap a journalist, Zambia is being beaten by Zanzibar for the first time, Malawi is being ranked higher by FIFA for the first time. Look at the standarsset by previous FAZ presidents like the Late David Lewanika, David Phiri, Julius Sakala, etc . I am sure uncle Dennis Liwewe is unbelievably shaking his head at the new developments. Kalu is a friend of mine but when he does something wrong i feel duty bound to correct him.
DaMwiinger on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 7:38 PM
@ROK
amen to that
Justice Kafusha on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 8:19 PM
Rok the biggest problem on this site is our level of thinking. DaMwiinger has hit the nail on its head but support from me to him will have me depicted anti Kalu. To be honest Kalu is nothing on the big stage of world soccer, but pa Zed he is RB. The question is why does he live in SA. During AFCON2006 I was on bbc where I discloesd that Kalu was invloved in the sale of players including Mbesuma where he got a cut, from then I became his enemy including his close friend Kasolo, but I do not care.
In Zed we hate people who tell the truth. That is why I have kept silent on this issue. Very funny indeed worshiping kalu as though he played for Real Madrid, Juventus, Man Utd, Bacerlona, Inter Mila, AC Milan, Bayer Munich, Liverpool, FC Porto, Benfica, Arsenal during his time. Yaba. I was here from 1990 up to now. Romaria went Barcelona whiel Kalu went to Mexico. Which great players from Europe have gone to Mexico. That is why we are small in football terms cause we praise anybody. Muletekanya
Justice Kafusha on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 8:21 PM
a few mistakes
Justice Kafusha on Thu, 10th Dec 2009 8:27 PM
The problem is that Kalu thinks he is Zambian football. There are great players in Africa e.g George Weah of Liberia named not only African footballer of the year but European and the only African to be name World footballer of the year, Abedi Pele was named 3 time African footballer of the year ina row, Drogba plays for Chelsea, Rabar Meja Agerian won the now Champions league with FC Porto scoring one of the best goal in the history of the Champioships ( go on you tube and search) ati kalu.
The greatest Zambian footballer ever is “Ucar ” , confirmed by Liwewe on BBC from a question I posed.
Amuna Onzuna on Fri, 11th Dec 2009 9:41 AM
BaJustice,I’ve now seen that you just have personal issues with Kalusha.Im sure the reason why he lives in SA is the same as the ones you have for living in Europe(Im sure,its economic reason,you are both economic refugees).Atleast for him,he works for Zambia,and comes so often.To me,he might not be a Good Administrator but he is exposed to the World of Football more than any Zambian at the moment,so,I respect him in those terms.I pray that one day,BaJustice and others like Prof.Chirwa,Prof Ndulo,Charles Musonda,Stone Nyirenda,Msiska etc ..will come back home and lift this sinking Nation of Zambia
Georgia Russia on Fri, 11th Dec 2009 12:48 PM
i think its very unfair to say kalu did not achieve alot as player. hes one of the the best players by far in africa. this is one guy who helped alot after gabon crush disaster.dont forget its the same kalu who would use his own money just to come and play for zambia.he dedicated his entire playing career for the national team. hes failing to deliver as an admin but lets not tek away what he acheived as player. if i was to judge him or rank him i would rank among the weahs,roger etc.
Georgia Russia on Fri, 11th Dec 2009 12:55 PM
what kalu did was wrong,but this thing of saying he was not a great footballer is rubbish. maradas called for a closed door meeting and kalu did apologise for that. the mukoka chap is up to knw good along with the chap from swaziland.i repeat kalu was a great player,a legend and he will always be.
BA ZAMBIA on Sat, 12th Dec 2009 1:29 PM
dude can we please keep it soccer? Thanks
Amuna Onzuna on Sun, 13th Dec 2009 4:07 PM
You are absolutely right,my Man!.Yes he was wrong to lose his temper,afterall,who doesnt lose temper coz even Jesus lost his with the people selling in his Father’s house.Its shameful for people like Simaata to use this incident to settle old scores,he has forgotten the mistreatment he gave to Kalu when he was chairman of FAZ.