Matete allies threatened?

MUKWIMA CHILALA writes SAMUEL Matete is concerned that clubs that had been associating with him are been intimidated with threats of bans by the Zambia Athletics executive. And Matete has maintained that he is a bonafide member of ZA and eligible to stand for presidency. Matete said noted that there was a ploy to stop whoever had intentions to run for the ZA presidency. He said he was eligible to run for the presidency of the Association’s body and that that’s why he had gone to court to prove his eligibility. Matete said that he had always been a bonafide member of ZA and that it was the reason he had previously been appointed to positions. He said that the relationship with the current ZA executive had not deteriorated but that he had just stopped associating with them. “I have stopped associating with the ZA executive because those appointments were not genuine .When I was appointed, I was only appointed in the eyes of the journalists,” he said . “But when it came to working together, I asked them to put it in writing but that couldn’t happen and that’s how I wrote a letter and copied the Sports Council that I have stopped associating with this fake appointment.” He said that he would prove his eligibility to run for the ZA’s job once the right time comes. The Former 400 metres world Athletics champion said that clubs had been living in fear of being banned for Associating with him on the pretext that he was not in good standing with the ZA. “Like here now, whoever, associates with us are intimidated and wanting to ban us that know we are not in good books or he doesn’t belong to any club and now all the clubs are living in fear now,” Matete said. Matete a former World Athletics champion is among other former athletes seeking to challenge ZA president Elias Mpondela at this year’s elective general meeting . The Sun