George Kasengele who served as the Football Association of Zambia Secretary General wrote this tribute to Kalusha Bwalya.
Go well my good friend Kalusha Bwalya.
Your love for this country and your calmness and humility in the face of adversity as well as your unwavering desire to advance the game of football culminating in the 2012 Africa Cup victory will remain the indelible mark you leave the game in Zambia. The calmness and humility in room 125 at Moba Hotel when word filtered through that the battle had been lost remains the hallmark of your greatness.
The tears that poured in the eyes of the many people that saw you off at Ndola airport speaks of the great love the people you looked after had for you.
I join you in leaving this stage as your defeat is my defeat. Our endless hours spent planning have not been wasted. Its time to move on my dear friend. We have shared many wonderful moments and l believe there are many more to come. We can look at our time at FAZ with a degree of great satisfaction
I agree with your words this evening that it is time for a break from the torrid headlines you have had to endure as President.
There can only be one Great Kalu. To borrow from a Ngugi Wa Thiongo book you were born wise before your time.
In the photo (L-R) Kasengele, Kalusha and Pivoty Simwanza who contested for the vice president position
Indeed a moving tribute. We must also thank Kalu’s team. Kalu’s team whether we liked them or not have set a marker. Even in leaving Kalu is leading the way, do better than i/we did is the challenge.
Reserve Funeral tributes for the appropriate time. In fact Kasengele yo time at Faz was by the grace of Kalu. U were an incompetent time waster. Come to think of it yo suddenly empty pockets elicit such emotions
Yes go well great kalu. Your regacy shall be there for years until what yo team achived winning AFCON is repeated. if not soon then u will remain as the only Best Adm to ve done so. its a bench mark not easy to achive. indeed take a leave from the unpleasent headlines that has charavterised yo coverage.. Go well big bro. we love u.
Go well Great Kalu u left Europe for mother zambia when you had a good job as psv endoheiven youth team coach but you sacrificed your marriage and family to come to Africa to help zambia. No other player wanted to come in 2003 when our football went down we even failed to qualify to Afcon 2004
Let us hope we do not go back to those old sad days when we could even struggle to qualify for the Afcon.We were even failing to go past the group stages until Kalu had to come and restrategise our soccer.
A great man Kalu you are. Let’s see the administration they boast about
GREAT KALU WE LOVE YOU.LETS HOPE THIS WONT MARK THE ENDING OF OUR BEAUTIFUL GAME.
Why the solemness??…
Im also wondering!!!! have we elevated losing an election to the same level as a funeral??
Good riddance. There is nothing that is permanent. Everything must come to an end. Let us embrace change and manage it rightly. New people, new management will breathe in a new lease of life in our football. Lets move on and not look backward.
back …
I’m not sad to see this man leave. He has taken absolutely no responsibility or accountability for any of the failures, but was always quick to jump getting credit. Like they say “success has many fathers, but failure is often times an orphan.” Either way, I wish Kalu the very best and lets wait and see what happens under Kamanga. Still sad that ba Hershel only got 1 vote…was it his own vote?
Zamfoot, just a little pet peave. Can we stop saying “saved” instead of served. There have been multiple articles now I have seen this.
Thanks for your time Kalu.
Why shouldn’t people be sad around Kalu? I think it’s normal to grieve after a defeat in which you had stakes, eg jobs have been lost and whether these guys stayed or not their stay was not going to be sustainable in the new administration – which also marks them out as being professional by moving out ahead of the expected chop.
The new president has promised a lot and has a huge task to step out the shadow of Kalu’s reign. On top of that it shows they have nothing to hide and doing the right thing. Lets not vilify them as the president himself has said.
Go well Kalu the great, destined for greatness and never give up man! We dont call you Great Kalu for nothing, we will miss your passionate leadership!!
In life, we need to learn that time passes and what was yesterday may not be today and later on tomorrow. Yes Kalu remains an icon of football not only in Zambia and Africa but world over. However, the reality is that the world is ever changing, and sometimes it changes so fast that our ideas, skills and knowledge might be challenged. at such a time, its good to step outside and watch from a distance. Through the mistakes or rights of the successors you might find that your experience might prove more useful than if you reigned yourself. I have learnt a lot from this event- as we work through this life it remember to that value addition should be at the core and not business as usual- the world is ever changing and so should be our capacity, skills, knowledge and inventions. To the new executive, you fought, you cried and the delegates heard. Go in and make a difference, don`t expect any less from the fans. Infact, the bar is now raised even further with the going of the Kalu- led executive.
I meant to say- Its important to remember that value addition should be at the core. Also just thinking- what was the role of the supporting executive members in ensuring the president succeed? Could it be that it was a’ once the president succeeds, its success for all of us’ syndrome. Leadership should not be about one person, that is why a committee is elected.
GREAT KALU…….. AM SADDENED I CANT PRETEND BUT THERE IS TIME FOR EVERYTHING. I WISH YOU WELL IN ALL YOUR ENDEAVORS
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KASENGELE’S tummy tells everything.
Ya that tummy looks like its full of frogs. lol
Great Kalu you will still remain as Great Kalu for us who followed you whole heartedly and appreciated your magic efforts. You we indeed identified as an icon even before you were born. I too admire your calmness as you have climbed mountains but do not stand on top to overlook others! You sacrificed your youth days in Mufulira instead of going to watch movies you were on the pitch perfecting how to curve the free-kicks! You only set your eyes to one career…Football! You are not a chancer with other multi-discipline to try to salvage what works but football is your choice and destine. No matter what tomorrow brings wonders as all haters will be ashamed. You way will be cleared of your enemies as the present is not in vain. Go way my hero as another door opens for you. Leave us kuwayawaya fye! God Bless u abundantly.
Government support especially financing of football is key to success. Kalusha’s time at FAZ enjoyed this flow of funds from government and FIFA. This is attributed mainly to 2 things (1) Gabon disaster -government pledged support to football, and (2) FIFA’s support to smaller nations. If finances will not flow to FAZ under Kamanga, forget it we cannot succeed! But also we should remember that we have had the Lewanika’s, Mtine’s, etc who were equally able who also did there best under their prevailing conditions those days!
its a good tribute…you can as well prepare one for the another ‘Out Going’ if you like. At least he wont cry on that day if he reads it in advance.
wait until these loud mouths we have put in FAZ fail to win even a CECAFA we will know, how great Kalu’s achievements were. Go well indeed great Kalu. We Zambians don’t appreciate we, questioned, you on what you ate, where you slept, why you only daughters for children, on the race of your wife, on your relationship with Charles Musonda being the reason the former’s kid don’t want to play for Zambia. I glad these noise markers have a platform to lead the football house, let them fire people who don’t share their vision and employ their own so they don’t have an excuse. We will demand big as their promises were, hold them accountable for the last ngwee and judge them after 4 year. God forbid, I shudder to imagine how disgraced some people will be as they exit football house after 4 years. Kalu was called name he never insulted back kept his cool till the end a true mark of sportsman. we advised people, that these noise makers are crooks who are energy experts who should be solving load shedding problems, who ran away from warriors which needed their business acumen to join power who are best sponsored team where also they were chased with a year and now elected to head the entire FAZ. Cry by beloved game only time will tell, surely 4 years will look like 4 weeks. meanwhile we are watching!!!!
Go well Great Kalu u have done alot in zambian football now u can concentrate on CAF and FIFA.New President take us to world Cup,Kalu have done is part Afcon 2012.
‘The calmness and humility in room 125 at Moba Hotel when word filtered through that the battle had been lost remains the hallmark of your greatness.’
Real humility would have been to congratulate the new FAZ President at the elections venue rather than withdraw to room 125 and post on Facebook. If I recall correctly, that’s what Teddy Mulonga did when he was unseated by Kalu.
Adios Great Kalu. You have played your part and that cannot be taken from you.
Now we can only wish Kamanga the best and give him our support as he implements his vision for Zambian soccer.
Kalusha, great kalu we shall be missing you thanks for .your dedication and love .that .you .showed .to .our .mother .zamb.ia ..For sure football is your life wen you say football is my you really mean it.Go well and do forget that we love you bro.