Zambia’s women’s soccer team are facing being prevented from participating at this summer’s Olympic Games due to an ongoing political crisis within the country’s football association.
FIFA, world football’s governing body, has said the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) faces being suspended — and therefore Zambian teams prevented from featuring at international tournaments — following “undue influence by third parties” in FAZ.
Zambia’s High Court issued an injunction preventing FAZ’s annual general meeting (AGM) from taking place as scheduled on Saturday, which came after FAZ’s president and general secretary were arrested and charged with money laundering offences last week.
FIFA had sent FAZ a letter — published on FAZ’s official social media account and dated Friday, April 26 — following the injunction ordered by the High Court, stating that a failure to hold the AGM “appears to clearly amount to undue influence by third parties”.
FIFA’s laws prohibit third-party influence in the running of a member association and it has previously suspended nations where governments or courts have been judged to have interfered, such as India in August 2022. The letter added that the cancelled AGM could result in FAZ’s suspension, meaning its teams will be unable to compete against other FIFA member nations.
FIFA’s letter, sent by member associations officer Kenny Jean-Marie, also “took note with great concern” the charges against FAZ’s president and general secretary. The letter requested that FAZ provide FIFA with documents and additional information relating to the case by Tuesday.
FAZ president Andrew Kamanga, general secretary Reuben Kamanga and two others — Madalitso Kamanga and Jairous Siame — were arrested and charged with money laundering offences, including obtaining money by false pretences and conspiracy to defraud, according to a press release from Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) from Tuesday, April 23.
The DEC stated that the alleged offences related to the quartet obtaining funds from the government for the non-FAZ pair to travel to the Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) earlier this year. The investigation revealed approximately £10,200 was obtained for “allowances” with an additional £3,000 for return flights.
The DEC added the quartet were “due to appear in court soon”. All four have denied the charges, per local media.
Zambia beat Costa Rice at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, their only victory at the tournament (Hannah Peters – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Following the arrests and charges, an injunction was filed to Zambia’s High Court to prevent FAZ’s AGM from happening as planned on Saturday, April 27.
FAZ appeared at an injunction hearing at the High Court on Saturday morning to get the injunction thrown out but was ultimately unsuccessful, with the AGM failing to take place. Per a FAZ press release, Judge Malumani threw out FAZ’s case and set a date of Thursday, May 2 for a further hearing.
Zambia’s women’s team qualified for this summer’s Olympics after beating Morocco 3-2 on aggregate in a play-off earlier this month. They have been placed in Group B with the USWNT, Germany and Australia. Zambia previously won one group match at the 2023 World Cup and exited the tournament in the group stage.
FAZ issued a statement on Monday confirming that “a FIFA ban would mean non-participation in the Olympics for our Copper Queens, Chipolopolo (the men’s senior team) won’t take part in FIFA World Cup qualifiers, under-17 girls will forfeit qualifiers for the world cup with the women senior national team barred from participating in the WAFCON that they have already qualified for”.
FAZ added that it was “hopeful” a resolution could be reached before FIFA intervenes and it “has taken it upon itself to be fully compliant of all the possibilities that may ensure that Zambia averts a possible ban from FIFA”.
FIFA and FAZ have not responded to The Athletic’s request for comment.
(Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
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