FIFA Gives Zambia Green Light to Investigate Kalusha for Corruption FIFA has given Zambia’s Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) green light to investigate the element of criminality in FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya’s alleged personal debt borrowed in the name of the association. In a rare turn of events, FIFA – which loathes at government interference of its member bodies such as FAZ – has said it has no objection to a Zambian anti graft agency investigating Kalusha or alleged corruption. Kalusha is a celebrated Zambian soccer star who runs the football body in the country but has meddled in numerous alleged corrupt deals cutting across player transfers, television rights, marketing contracts, vote-buying and now trading corrupt campaigns in relations to disgraced Qatari Mohammed Bin Hamman. In most of Kalusha’s alleged corrupt deals, he has often been protected by FIFA when state bodies move in to investigate impropriety. The 1988 African Footballer of the Year was recently named by the UK’s Sunday Times investigation among several African chiefs that benefitted from bribes dished by Hamman in relation to the Qatari’s failed bid to unseat Sepp Blatter as president of FIFA. During the same time, Bin Hammam is alleged to have corrupted African officials to win the tiny Middle East nation the right to host the 2022 World Cup. Kalusha has since admitted to receiving US$ 50, 000 saying in his bemba native; “Yali ninkongole (it was a debt).” However, records published by the Sunday Times show that Kalusha received alleged bribes of US$ 80, 000. The Zambian ACC issued a statement saying they had taken keen interest of the matter and were investigating. According to a statement by FIFA released to The Post Newspaper; “Criminal authorities in any country are of course always free to investigate and prosecute cases subject to their jurisdiction”. FAZ had initially rushed to the media claiming FIFA had cleared Kalusha when the world soccer body which is riddled with its own issues of transparency is yet to conclude investigations being carried out by the Ethics Committee. zambiareports/2014/07/24/fifa-gives-zambia-authority-investigate-kalusha-corruption/
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 07:47:33 +0000
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