Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) North-Western Province Youth Representative Zephaniah Mwanza has hit back at former Chipolopolo winger Clifford Mulenga after he questioned the country’s long-term approach to youth football development.
But Mwanza has dismissed the former international’s criticism, accusing him of speaking out of bitterness after leaving Football House.
“The guy wants to sound wise this time when he has left Football House,” Mwanza said.
“The guy should be ashamed of himself.”
Mwanza, who represents youth football in North-Western Province, also questioned Mulenga’s record during his time working within the FAZ youth development structure.
“Let Clifford Mulenga show one program or project he left at Football House that is functional?” he asked.
Mwanza further accused the previous administration of sidelining players from the provinces when selecting national youth teams.
“During their time at Football House, they used to replace our boys from provinces at midnight with their own guys,” he alleged.
“Provinces were just used for the sake of wanting to balance representation.”
He said the selection of youth national teams had previously frustrated provincial football stakeholders, particularly when squads were dominated by players from Lusaka-based clubs.
“Does he think we were happy to see a national team with only players from Lusaka-based clubs?” Mwanza said.
His comments come after Mulenga questioned the structure and continuity of Zambia’s youth national teams.
Mulenga argued that the Under-17 team should feed into the Under-20 side, with the Under-20 preparing players for the Under-23 and senior national team.
He also questioned the practice of appointing coaches who already lead Premier League clubs to take charge of youth national teams, asking whether Zambia was developing a specialist youth coaching ecosystem.
Mwanza, however, believes Mulenga’s criticism should be viewed in the context of his departure from FAZ.
“The guy is just bitter that he is no longer at Football House and wants to keep seeking sympathy,” he said.
“He thinks his comments add some relevance when it’s mere yapping.”
Mwanza’s response follows comments from FAZ president Keith Mweemba, who also appeared to challenge Mulenga’s criticism without mentioning him by name.
Mweemba questioned whether people who had previously been involved in the youth development system and, in his view, contributed to its shortcomings could now present themselves as authorities on how it should be run.
Mulenga’s own playing career began through Zambia’s youth setup. He featured at the 2005 COSAFA Under-20 Championship alongside Rainford Kalaba before progressing to the senior national team and winning the CAF Young Player of the Year award in 2007.
His international career ended in 2012, while his club career included spells in South Africa and Zambia before he retired from playing in 2023.
The disagreement has brought renewed attention to the wider question of how Zambia develops young footballers, with Mulenga calling for a system focused on producing generations of players rather than simply preparing teams for individual tournaments.
