FIFA clears Kamanga for Executive Committee eligibility

WORLD soccer governing body FIFA has nodded Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president president Andrew Kamanga’s candidature for the FIFA council position. FIFA has since notified Kamanga of his eligibility after having passed the integrity test. “In this regard, we kindly inform you that the Review Committee has declared you eligible for the position of member of the FIFA Council,” reads a statement from Mukul Mudgal who chairs the FIFA Review Committee. Kamanga sits on the FIFA Audit and Compliance Committee where he was elected in May 2017 at the FIFA Congress. He is the only member from Africa on the committee. Membership to the Audit and Compliance Committee is preceded by an Integrity Test. The FAZ president will be joined by five other candidates on the quest for the African FIFA Anglophone seat. The slots for Africa on the FIFA executive committee include one for the CAF president who automatically becomes the FIFA vice-president and another for a female candidate. The remaining six slots for CAF are divided into language blocks, broken down as English, Arabic and French. Each has two slots for candidates to vie for. In the English-speaking bracket, Kamanga will compete against candidates from Malawi (COSAFA), Nigeria, Gambia (West Africa), Kenya, and Tanzania (East Africa). Top two candidates will make it to the all-powerful FIFA body. The elections will be held in March. Kamanga, a chartered accountant, energy consultant and business mogul if elected will become the first Zambian to serve in the FIFA elective position. The FAZ president is currently in Cameroon as part of the CAF organizing committee. FIFA subjects all candidates for elective positions through an integrity check.