December 31, 2009
No Signs at AFCON: FAZ at it again?
Nigerian based Zambia star Signs Chibambo has blamed his non show at the Chipolopolo training camp in South Africa on poor communication from the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ).
Local media have reported that the Heartland striker was allegedly waiting for instructions from FAZ General Secretary George Kasengele from his base in Nigeria before joining the team that is preparing for the African Cup of Nations in Johannesburg.
The player who only last week was voted the best foreign player in the GLO Nigeria top flight has consequently been dropped from the final party of 23 for the showpiece tournament.
”I dont really know why I am not in the team. I am reading in the papers that I failed to honour the national team call-up. I can never do that, its just that I was waiting for General Secretary to call me.”
”When the coach called me, he told me the General Secretary was going to give me instructions but he never called, on Monday I called the GS (Kasengele) to find out and he said he was going to call me on Tuesday and on Tuesday night I received a call to say I was late, I couldnt join join the team,” the former Nakambala Leopards and Zambia under 23 ace told the Post.
Chibambo further told the Zambia Daily Mail that he had been looking forward to showcasing his skill at the AFCON but remained upbeat on his future chances in the team and that he believed the squad picked was still capable of delivering the desired results even without his services.
This week FAZ Communications Officer Erick Mwanza claimed tickets had been bought for both Chibambo and Angolan based Danny Hangunyu but they had failed to honour their call-up to the national team.
The duo was dropped for failing to pitch up in South Africa where the national team is camped in preparation for the January 10 month long tourney.
This incident is reminiscent of the London Saga in August this year when lies were peddled from Football House on foreign based players’ availability which consequently saw Zambia fielding a weakened side that included UK based Zambian students in the game against Ghana that the Chipolopolo lost 1-4 in England.
41 Comments on "No Signs: FAZ to blame"
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Anonymous on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 8:40 AM
Vote of No Cofidence for this FAZ adminstration….I think fans must now realise that the only person really working is HR..Renard and the technical crew are the on;y people carrying out their duties..i don’t know what the administration is doing.
tino on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 8:48 AM
here we go again.
Win on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 9:07 AM
This GS is really pushing FAZ down! He is suppossed to co-ordinate the administration duties at FAZ! If he is tired please him resign now because a simple job of phoning and emailing somebody is failing! Then he is not fit to head FAZ admin. I had high respect for the GS but it seems he is sluggish, timid and lacks administrative skills proved with unnecessary leaking of confidential information! LET HIM GO than confusing players! By the way, was the air ticket really sent to Signs? I also tend to doubt the integrity of Erick Mwanza. These guys where are they coming from failing simple duties!!! OOH dear we still require expatriates even to man FAZ admin! SHAME!!!
Justice Kafusha on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 9:10 AM
I think you are right. If What Signs has said is the truth then I feel pity for HR. He must have had a huge task with this useless FAZ we have. I am one of those who think he is not the right coach but maybe I have been too hard as I have not thought very much of how difficult it has been for him to operate. FAZ should in fact have made this man’s job easier but it seems to the contrary. I really give this man a benefit of doubt because I have a feeling if it were a Zambian coach we would not even had made it to Angola under this FAZ, for they are not helpful. I really hope he does well at AFCON so that he can go somewhere else
After AFCON FAZ should do us a favor, resign even if Zambia lift the Cup FAZ must go. I do not understand how FAZ has been turned into a political platform telling one lie after another.
Telling lies is a problem cause once you tell one lie today, tomorrow you will be forced to tell another lie in order to cover the previous one
Just why all this stupidity if I may ask? This is more than amazing. Problems and always problems that never end and will never end. If you can’t make your wife pregnant you cannot just continue and continue when you know you can’t. You face the truth and reality and say to yourself and your wife, sorry but I have tried but I do not think I can. FAZ know they are failures so why not admit the FACT as it is rather than playing games
Forcing yourself to be intelligent when you well know and people can see you are not is just an insult to yourself. Be wise and take decisions based on development and not name making. Egos running anything are crap
isaac malukutu on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 9:10 AM
The so called Erick Mwanza is a liability to the nation.WHAT AN EMBARRASEMENT.
Justice Kafusha on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 9:13 AM
ZAMFOOT my above comments do not bear any insults.
Justice Kafusha on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 9:27 AM
One other issue with FAZ is that
Kalu is a spokesman
Munaile is a spokesman
Kasengele is a spokesman
Mwanza is a spokesman
Chilemena was a spokesman
I do not hear much from Mwamelo
It is like almsot evryone at FAZ can issue press statements without even consulting other members. Even as a family takwaba ati the Dad says this, mum says something else and children with all their opinions and you call that a family. Then issues are all wrong
Just wait you will see the whole FAZ travelling to Angola cause they have heard about the allowances. We are going to have 4 players sharing one room just to accomadate these greedy guys and their egos
Nathan on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 9:33 AM
What a turn of events? This truly shows that they are two camps in the football association of zambia, a camp for those that support HR and another camp for those that are against. We’l never go any where if we have people like mr Kasengele and mr mwanza who wants the nation to believe lies. Any way i have never watched signs play some times, it takes a bit of time for players for find they feet in the national team. But he might have been the missing link in the team. But all in all, lets not continue to cry over the spilt milk. Viva chipolopolo.
Zima Ndola on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 9:33 AM
FAZ,FAZ,FAZ again?
Nathan on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 9:39 AM
I also wantd to know about what i have heard that zambia is due to play Togo on january 3, how true is this? Can some one confirm that?
Anonymous on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 9:48 AM
Eric and the GS lack ethical values. if they can lie to the nation like that, how much more do they lie to thier children, bloody idiots
Zima Ndola on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 9:52 AM
@Nathan
That is what was writen on Kickoff.com
Asilikale on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 10:04 AM
GUYS DONT 4GET WHAT I SAID ABOUT CHRIS KATONGO,THE CHAP IS A REASON WE LOSE.
It was after Chris katongo was substituted thus when a goal was scored,this soldier
1 – hes a reason HR use a
4-3-3 formation coz hez i dnt know.
2-he makes sure no one does score as long as hez on field unless hez substituted thus whn we score how he does that me i dnt know,point not a finger at me jst observe C katongo.
Anonymous on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 10:26 AM
Asilikale you are not making sense, are u tryin to say that HR should get rid of chris, wats your point
dan man on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 11:58 AM
FAZ is full of shit!lose all the games in angola huh?
DaMwiinger on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 12:04 PM
Why am I not surprised? Where is Chamz?
Demian on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 12:50 PM
The intire FAZ executive must be dissolved without any exeptions because they have lamentably failed to run football in this Country. The case of signs and the London sagga are among best examples which have proved crystal clear that the current Faz executive is a total, shameless, irresponsible and an impending disaster to soccer in Zamibia.
gb on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 1:14 PM
“I have just read in the papers that Chris katongo is the only player in camp who has never had a break”. So this might affect his performance I guess, its better to leave him then.
DaMwiinger on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 2:00 PM
@Jeremiah
It’s called collective responsibility. The president/CEO takes the heat for the mistakes of his surbodinates. It’s his job to make sure the institution he is leading is running well. Curently it’s Obama and his government who are getting the heat for the CIA mess up on the Nigerian bomber. That’s how it works in the world. I know in Zambia we don’t think like that which is why we are where we are politically, economically and in football. It’s up to you and me to change that.
Plus also, hasn’t Kalu done enough harm himself?
Amuna Onzuna on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 2:11 PM
I think the General Secretary(Mr.Kasengele) is to blame for all the mess that is happenning at FAZ.Why Iam saying this?, Its bcoz,he is the Chief Executive of the Football Association of Zambia responsible for all the Day to Day operations of FAZ.He is like like a National Secretary of a Political Party(eg Katele Kalumba),he is supposed to be fully incharge at Footabll House because he is NOT an elected Official of FAZ but an Employee,hence he is on contract and DOES GET a SALARY at monthend.
Now,in this case and all the other scandals at FAZ,he is the one to blame.I said it when we debated the London Fiasco,that you people insulting Kalu( who was at that time in SA doing his wedding),were not fair because it was the job of the General Secretary to organise or advise Players of how to get visas to get into UK.I hope now most of you critics of FAZ will reliase that one who makes FAZ bad is the General Secretary and he is the one who is supposed to be fired.The head of the Discplinary Commitee,the Vice President of FAZ(Hon Munaile) is supposed to discpline Mr.Kasengele for such lapses because the Association will always be ridiculed because of him.
Mwape on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 2:47 PM
Its always Interesting to follow the bloggers views, others just criticize even if they dont have a solution then others talk positive others are just interested in using bad Language… its all part of the Game anyway. Do you think Signs Chibambo was going to do wonders at the Afcon.. Come on Guys the guy is an average player whom i personally think was not going to make any difference ask Zesco who lured him from Nakambala if he was better than the jonas’ of this world and indeed those who wacthed trainings when he pitched up for the Egypt Game.
Do we really think he is a better player than Kennedy Chola, Luka Lungu, Kennedy Mudenda,Ignatious Lwipa, Jackson Sakala or even Hangunyu.
Well i let you to Judge.
Anonymous on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 2:50 PM
Minimise using sms language,this is not an sms that a teenager is sending to another teenager
I want to appeal to all bloggers,please let us use clear words when sending comments
Sikelemi on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 3:18 PM
Yestadays 30/12/2009 on ZNBC news,it was said Munaile is going to be a delegation leader to AFCON for the chipolopolo. My suggestion is that if at all, as it was reported in some newspapers, he had or has any differences with HR, let him reconcile with HR before they get to Angola. We do not want the team to go as a divided unit. The FAZ executive must URGENTLY get to Angola and ascertain the Hotel, training pitches and food sources our team will be using in advance before the team gets there, not just staying with the team in SOUTH AFRICA and chewing our money. Why am I saying this, because before we had incidents of our team having had food poisoning, if am not mistaken it was at AFCON RSA in 1996 when we lost due to the above reason to Tunisia. The south africans were suspected to have done this as they where afraid to meet us in the final, proof offcourse is not there. Another issue is of sending spies to see how Tunisia, cameroun and Gabon are preparing. Unless we are not just informed and they have already sent spies, this is clitical for planning on how to defeat our opponents. I can assure you, the chipolopolo is being watched by spies from the teams we will play. On chibambo and Hangunyu, their chance will come, maybe it is fare that they wont be there as they did not participant in the qualifiers. When they are called next time, they should turn up so that we see what they are made of.Best wishes and happy new year with good results from AFCON 2010 by chipolopolo.
Anonymous on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 3:20 PM
Has anyone heard anything about the next friendly games
m on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 3:23 PM
Why can’t FAZ do things properly? There’s always something wrong..
Sikelemi on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 3:51 PM
My fellow blog M, these guys at FAZ are not administrators, they just used to kick the football around as footballers and now they want the other players in the team to feel what they used to feel when they were in the same shoes, i mean the mistreatment by the FAZ commitees that have been there before them. What we need are serious people with managerial skills, not the Mwaza’s , Munaile’s, Kalusha’s and Kasengele who put their own interest first.
Lets come to even coaches in Zambia, they are failing becoz, they do not have managerial skill. Look at Sir Alex Ferg, he just played for div 2 team, but he is a great coach. Why, because he identified that he had the skills to be a good manager, hence he just went and trained to be a coach. You can see the results for your self. Here in Zambia, we have wrong characters as coaches, right now all they are doing is drinking their heads off, serious coaches are scouting for players and improving on those they have. Period. Anyway am not going to watch and see, this coming year 2010, you will see a new face in football coaching in Zambia. I hope many people who have a background in football like me and may not have played even at national team level due to having opted to go for studies at University or college for formal employement get into football as coaches and administrators as long as they have managerial skills. We must start from somewhere, then we will end somewhere very far.
DaMwiinger on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 4:16 PM
Who does Kasengele report to?
Steven on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 4:21 PM
We need to start trying to find a group of serious Zambians who can change the course of our football. This has to change! And the people who make excuses for FAZ are part of the problem. Kalu should permanently just host that show on Supersport and leave FAZ for those who really want to do better.
Kk11 on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 5:47 PM
Simply put the individual needs to put in an effort as well. He knew he was in the provisional squad and if he had spoken to the coach y not reach out to the coach to get or give updates? Why do these guys always want us to hold their hands like they are kids?? If I am invited tombs part of a project and I am not getting info on a timely basis I would put up on myself to see what’s going on than waiting. Communicate with the coach, tell him ur situation or talk to the other players see where they are at. This is the guys future and he will sit there and wait for others to determine it’s outcome? These men need to take the lead in there future instead of ending up in he said she said situations. Yes we can blame FAZ all we want but the player here also dropped the ball, WE NEED THINKERS IN THE TEAM!!
Sibs on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 6:56 PM
I agree with KK11 on this one. Why just sit and wait for a phone call. If one has been for an interview and they don’t call you back for feedabck you can’t just sit and say they will call me. They guy knew he had to be in camp by a certain date(deadline) all he did was just sit .
Come on guys Signs should have used some initiative here.
Steven on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 8:00 PM
Are you guys seriously blaming the player? He WANTS to be part of the national team. It is an honor for him. Erick Mwanza talks about writing letters, surely, in this day and age of e-mail and phones? Please guys, lets put the blame where it is deserved and as usual it is on FAZ. And if you read the article, you know that Signs called Kasngele and he told him he would call him back. Abash FAZ.
Kayula on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 9:26 PM
For Signs to be voted as best foreign player in the Nigerian League means he definately has something to show case. I suspect ta bosheshe to the guys who run the show. Its time we started being a bit more ethical.
Seen from afar on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 9:33 PM
It’s open season on FAZ. I’m trying not to talk about anything FAZ relative until after Angola, let’s see if i make it…
In other news, Tunesia names squad! Egypts players a dropping like flies, first Zaki, then Aboutrika through injury and now Mido through fitness.
Gametime12 on Thu, 31st Dec 2009 10:48 PM
Not to take anything away from him, but he was competing against three other foreign strikers if I’m not mistaken. Plus his team made it to the finals of the Caf Champions League of course they’d pick him over anybody else. I have never seen him play, or heard much about him. I don’t think he has been on the scoring sheet too often, so I don’t know if he is the savior Zambia has been waiting on or it would be just a gamble to use him in Angola.
Yambayamba on Fri, 1st Jan 2010 4:16 AM
How do we know how good a player Chibambo has become if we did not try him. I thought that is what these training camps are meant for—-to try out players so the coach can see the kind of talent he has at his disposal!!
And to blame the player for this when the article clearly indicates that he did make an effort to get instructions from the GS is a little bit unfair to the player. For goodness sakes, he is simply a player, he has no decision making powers to twist any arms at FAZ.
There is definitely something wrong with FAZ. I am not sure what it is, but you can’t keep repeating the same blunders over and over without any lessons learned; WOW!!!
Justice Kafusha on Fri, 1st Jan 2010 3:33 PM
Those that have never watched Signs go pa YOUTUBE and you will see who he is. He is a striker that can take on defenders while going forward and not loosing the ball. Some of the players we have in this 23 man squad cannot even make it in the Nigerian league. They will be sitting on the bench just like they do in SA
Signs is a good player and that is the reason why he played in the u/23. He will soon be in Europe that I know. If Signs had the same agent as most of our players he would have been in the squad longtime ago. Ama agents for most of our players do oil FAZ officials just in case some of you do not know what is going on
Just look at the Saku case. Saku being excused in order to get a starting place at his club, Jesus Christ, how many of our players are sitting on the bench at their respective clubs, many but why were they not excused as well. Players like Kalaba, Katongo, kalililo, Chintu, Mbesuma should have been excused as well. Strange not so
Justice Kafusha on Fri, 1st Jan 2010 3:38 PM
And this Kalu Munaile issue stinks. Kalu supports HR cause he has a say in the selection of players. That is why we have players from K-Stars his club being named to train with the senior squad. Only a blind follower does not know this. Many players are aware of these anomalies but who dare say anything, none at all.
JIGGYBOY on Fri, 1st Jan 2010 4:38 PM
Signs should tell us what kind of instructions he was waiting for from the GS.
Steven on Sat, 2nd Jan 2010 3:52 AM
@JIGGYBOY
He has never played for the national team, so he’s probably just waiting on travel detail etc. FAZ just need to be serious.
k.bwalwa on Mon, 4th Jan 2010 4:42 PM
@chindika
were is this particular lungu boy?
Uncle Bobs on Wed, 6th Jan 2010 10:31 AM
I dont think it’s the player’s job to be doing administrative issues. His job is just to get a ticket and travel. My brother Erick needs to understand that contacting National Associations even if is the procedure, i see no harm in FAZ GS maintaining regular contact with clubs to create rapport so that when our players services are required, he can simply pick up a call or email alerting them that FAZ have sent in request for a player is then just a bonus. Calling Signs and Danny liars was not showing true leadership from what i expect of an administrator. Propaganda died with Hitler’s lord how how in the industrial age and not in the current information age. Signs and Danny were not wrong but FAZ PERIOD. Let’s learn from mistakes as the London debacle is fresh in our minds.