With soccer fans complaining at the size of the Nkoloma stadium in hosting the Zambia national team matches after the stadium was filled beyond capacity during the weekend’s friendly match against Malawi, it has emerged that the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) owes the Levy Mwanawasa and the Heroes National stadia managements in excess of K1 million in unpaid venue charges.
FAZ owes Levy Mwanawasa Stadium K1,060,000 which has accrued from 2013 during the Brazil 2014 World Cup and Equatorial Guinea 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers while an undisclosed amount is owed to Heroes National Stadium management.
The 16-member taskforce appointed by the Ministry of Sports to oversee the maintenance of the ultra-modern Levy Mwanawasa Stadium has been facing serious financial constraints to carry out their mandate smoothly.
This has resulted in the facility, built at a cost of US$65 million, to even start developing cracks in some areas.
Stadium director Mwifwa Ng’ambi said in an interview yesterday that efforts have been made to remind Football House to settle their debt but that FAZ has not been cooperative on the matter.
“If FAZ had to settle their debt, it can go a long way in maintaining this facility. Each time we host international games here, we incur a lot of damages to various property that need repairs, we have made a lot of efforts in reminding FAZ to settle the bill but they have been behaving arrogantly,” Ng’ambi said.
The commercial rate of staging an international match in a facility like Levy Mwanawasa Stadium costs K268,000 but management has been giving FAZ a discounted rate of K185,000 per game.
According to a detailed FAZ operating statement presented at the 2015 annual general meeting in Kabwe, the association’s revenue from the games in 2013 stood at K8,235,334 while that of 2014 was at K7,141,649.
Ng’ambi said the management had been seeking Government’s intervention through the Ministry of Sports to persuade FAZ to foot the bill.
“FAZ makes money from gate takings but at the end of each game, they all disappear and we are made to chase for the money. People should own up, we have followed up this matter with the Ministry of Sports who have been helping us to push them (FAZ) to settle the debt,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sports Minister Vincent Mwale has asked FAZ to liquidate the debts owed to the two institutions.
Mwale said in an interview that the Government has written to Football House asking them about the pending debts owed to the stadia.
“We are aware of the debt that FAZ owes the managements at Levy Mwanawasa and National Heroes stadia and we have followed a formal channel by writing them (FAZ) on why they have failed to liquidate this debt. We are waiting for their response but I think people should pay for the services,” Mwale said.
FAZ communications manager Nkweto Tembwe said the matter was purely operational between the two institutions and that the association had a plan of settling the bills.
“We do business with Levy stadium management and we owe them money but this issue is purely operational,” Tembwe said.
[Times of Zambia]
this is the waste management at FAZ.Honestly failing to pay 185,000.
mwembwamwe mwatushupa
Faz nkongole ni hobby.
Kalusha is such a big let down! He wants to lead a very expensive life. You can’t work in Zambia and have a home in another country where you live! Somebody should educate him that those facilities need to be maintained by FAZ who use them and not the Government! Having been a good footballer is no guarantee that one is going to be a good administrator! One needs Education!
It is what it is!
But to be fair, the state of those facilities..developing cracks are not because FAZ owes them money, thos management should blame FAZ for that. Yes FAZ needs to pay up, but look at Levy Mwanawasa stadium, corrupt management officials are the problem for the state or our stadiums.
Definitely cant blame FAZ for cracks developing at such an early stage in the lifecycle of the stadium. How long did Independence stadium stand? If this stadium is already developing cracks then there seriously needs to be some review on the construction.
As for the damages to the stadium during matches; I recall when this stadium was built someone commented that they were at the stadium and they witnessed people being deliberately destructive. People don’t appreciate things, it is such a common failure among our people that such can happen. When we played Japan in the US. The Japanese fans stayed behind to clean up, what does that tell you about our mentality.
Yet another example of poor marketing abilities by the so called management, why wait for Zambia to play there in order to realize some resources for the up keep? This country has way too much people worrying about their pockets than the good of the country at large and as such, good things will always deteriorate right before our eyes. We cried for good facilities and now that we have it, we are now failing to do the least of all things? Just to maintain the facility? What is wrong with my people. I shake my heard.
I feel you man
So true and so shameful. It is the consequence of living in a country where this mentality trickles down. Those in power will fill their pockets and so those below follow suit and now even stadia are getting affected.
I shake my head with you my brother,this mentality of “nifya boma”need to be done with if our beloved country for it to develop period.Kalu never stop to surprise me,do not tell me that he does not pay for those facilities the team uses whenever they camp in RSA and yet he lets his own down,great player though but soo pathetic as an administrator.
These are the things we always talk about concerning the work culture in Zambia. We cried for stadia and here we are failing to maintain them all because of corruption first from the main stakeholder, useless FAZ, and then stadium management. My mouth is full of insults like now. I will comment more later.
The long and short of it is that KALU MUST GO
Iwe wine ka pulu must go
If there are cracks at the stadium after games then let that be attributed tonthe company who made the stafium and let them make rapirs to the structure. A Stadium this age should not be getting cracks surely.
As for Faz not paying kaya…
The stafium is what should stand 40 years and beyond not crooked administration.
Ati Cracks after every game is played are developed and you want to blame FAZ for that? Structural issues of the building and you sit on your fat butts ati FAZ! Go call the Chinese and show them the cracks.
Yes FAZ must pay and should actually be ashamed to be talking of such a huge debt by the FAZ. Clean your houses both the management team and FAZ.
Kapinga iyuma ati FAZ.
This Debt situation is another case of complete mismanagement ku FAZ. The more I hear about this organization the more I think these guys are a bunch of jokers. #uselessFAZ
Foolish faz kalu must go he is not intrsted with zambia
The problem here is with the managements at Levy and Heroes. They fail to run these facilities because of misappropriation of funds. Brown glass and cracks are a serious problem and Faz can’t take the blame for the cracks and brown glass of the facility. Cracks are a result of poor construction. The Government should appoint a new management let Zesco United to take over Levy stadium and Lusaka city council to run Heroes.
the stadium was contructed very cheaply, the didnt think of the aftermath… some zambian by nuture are destructive and inmature grow up.