EVARISTO DAVID KASUNGA-THE FAZ PRESIDENT THAT CUT SHORT HIS TERM AFTER FAILING TO QUALIFY FOR AFCON
Born Evaristo David Kasunga is former Football Association of Zambia president that cut short his term, called for early elections and did not avail himself for re-election.
Why did he not recontest FAZ presidency after serving for only one term? He did did so because Zambia failed to qualify for Afcon 2004 under his watch, close friends, family members and his executive members then have concluded and continue to speculate.
Under his presidency, Zambia qualified for Afcon 2002 but failed to qualify for Afcon 2004. While his four year legal mandate was supposed to end at the end of March, 2004 he called for early elections mid February 2004 and did not avail himself for re-lection.
How did Zambia perform in the qualifiers that led to Senior Citizen Evaristo D. Kasunga to cut short his term? In a group of four teams where only the top team would qualify for Afcon, out of six games Zambia won 3, drew 2 and lost one ending in second position with eleven points behind eventual group winners Benin.
By comparison, Zambia in the 2004 Afcon qualifiers had a far much better run than in the 2017, 2019 and 2021 qualifiers.
Despite recording fairly good results during his tenure at junior teams like Under 23 team (All Africa Games-team that had the likes Chris Katongo, Mbesuma, Noah Chivita, Chintu Kambamba) and at Under 20 of 2000 both at Afcon U 20 and World U20 (the team that had the likes of Ronald Mbambara, Nathan Sinkala, Emmanuel Zulu, Moses Sichone), Kasunga saw it wise to leave the stage, cutting short his term.
Mr Evaristo Kasunga, a former Zimoil CEO former Lusaka Tigers Chairman is now serving at Zambia’s foreign mission in Canada.
To Snr Citizen, I salute you and in the same breath I apologise for having not saluted you then. You are certainly not a seed of common stock.
Mumbo Lombe
Lusaka, Zambia
