THE recent reconciliation between sports minister Emmanuel Mulenga and FAZ appears to be a shaky arrangement as police seek to arrest Andrew Kamanga on trumped-up charges.

The scheme is to knock him off the FAZ presidency and pave way for Kalusha Bwalya, impeccable sources have told The Mast.

And sources have further revealed that Mulenga was seeking help from former Katanga governor Moise Katumbi to have the FAZ executive banned using FIFA secretary general Fatouma Samoura who is Katumbi’s close ally.

Last week, Mulenga summoned FAZ to his office where he announced that his office had resolved its differences with Football House and was seeking to start the relationship on a clean slate.

But sources familiar with the development have disclosed that the purported reconciliation was just a smokescreen aimed at hoodwinking Zambians so that when Kamanga’s imminent arrest is effected, the minister would not be seen to be involved.

“That has always been there, it has never gone away. Kamanga has to be arrested on trumped-up charges so that all the decisions taken by his administration become null and void. Then the process has to start all over again and their choice (Kalusha) will be installed. If you remember the minister wrote a complaint to FIFA president Gianni Infantino sometime back alleging all sorts of things against FAZ. We now hear that they have revived that same letter trying to use Katumbi because he is close to the FIFA secretary general Samoura Fatma so that Kamanga and others can be banned. That’s why the minister is now very comfortable and trying to paint a picture that he has stopped troubling Kamanga and FAZ so that when these guys are arrested, they will say it is a professional job by the police devoid of interference. We are in the police. If you want, ask Adrian Kashala. He still has strong links in the police, he is fully aware of what is being plotted,” the sources said. “People won’t rest until this is achieved and we feel the President must step in and stop his people, they have gone too far. Even Kashala, they are not satisfied that they have removed him from the service, but we now hear DEC [Drug Enforcement Commission] will soon be visiting him.”

When contacted if he was aware of the plot to arrest him, Kamanga declined to comment while Kashala could neither deny nor confirm the development saying: “I am busy at the moment. Call me later.”

But sports minister Emmanuel Mulenga denied the allegations saying those that did not want his relationship with FAZ to work were the ones peddling such “lies”.

“These are just lies by people who don’t want FAZ and the ministry to work in harmony. For your own information, I don’t find pleasure or joy when one is going through problems. As for me, we have reconciled with the view of working together for the development of football in our country. For God’s sake, promote unity and peace,” responded Mulenga.

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