FAZ President Andrew Kamanga says new regulations for foreign players will be introduced to ensure that the leagues attract quality players from outside the country.

Kamanga said The Association continues to face legacy challenges dating back to 2014, regarding registration for both local and foreign players in the leagues’.

“This unfortunate position arises from failure within the Registrar’s office to follow the correct regulations regarding player registration. An amnesty to streamline the correction of all anomalies was extended to all clubs to normalize registration,” He said in a statement to the media today.

The FAZ boss also revealed that the Zambian Super Division will be run separately from the Football Association in 2018.

Kamanga says It has always been the intention of this executive committee to de-link the League’s from the Football Association of Zambia.

“This is standard and best-practice worldwide, and Zambia should be no exception. It is our belief that this decision will go a long way towards making our league’s attractive to more sponsorship opportunities, including some that have already been presented to the Association,” Kamanga said.

The FAZ Chief further adds that The Football Association of Zambia recognizes the role and partnership of sponsors in building the game.

“FAZ sponsors, MTN, Barclays Bank, First National Bank and SuperSport must have special mention as they have been with us when we went through the difficult process or rebuilding the team, to today, when the fruits of this rebuilding are now being seen.

“I wish to thank all club sponsors for their role in building Zambian football to where it is today. The Zambian game has been built on the back of their commitment through many difficult times in the past. Before the renegotiations of the MTN league sponsorship, we will engage all stakeholders, particularly our members whose input is critical to structuring a deal that meets their needs and the current business environment, ” stressed Kamanga

He explained that the league will function in a fully professional manner, with little disturbance or interruption in the programme. This new structure will create a multitude of sponsorship opportunities for corporate partners to associate with the national teams at all levels.

The Association will focus on managing all national teams as well as provide regulatory oversight in line with the statues and regulations. A working committee will be appointed immediately after the end of the 2017 season to undertake this assignment and provide the implementation timeline

And Kamanga says the Association will look into strengthening of the referees department and that the recent match officiating controversies in the league have not escaped the notice of the Executive Committee and corrective measures are being taken to rectify the situation.

“The referees’ department will be strengthened by the support of additional human resource and external support from partner Football Associations in the field of training. Further, integrity remains an integral part of the game and the FAZ executive will not allow fair play to be compromised.”

Kelvin Trudeau Musako

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