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 | | Friday, 29 March, 2002, 12:26 GMT Minister suggests Zambia quit international stage  Zambia may withdraw from international football Zambia's sports minister, Norman Chibamba, wants the Chipolopolo, the national football team, to consider withdrawing from international competitions. Many MPs have called for the team to pull out of major events. "If I had my way, I would go for the idea of my parliamentary colleagues on this matter", the minister told BBC Sport Online on the telephone from Lusaka. "But it would be a difficult thing to do, because football is very popular in Zambia." Chibamba said the money spent on meeting Zambia's international football engagements could be used to improve sporting infrastructure. He also criticised the country's poor performance at the African Nations Cup, where they were eliminated in the first round. Interference Emmanuel Hachipuka, an opposition member in parliament, said football standards have deteriorated because the sport has been politicised.
He suggested Zambia should not participate in any event for three years, to address the problems bedevilling its football. The Sport Minister said that the suggested withdrawal could give the country time to discover new talent. The Chipolopolo Soccer Fans Association (CFSA), an association of supporters of the national team, is opposed to the idea mooted by some MP's. Willie Malasha, general secretary of the CFSA, said withdrawing from international competitions will not help the cause of Zambian football "What we need is a working football administration. If we withdraw, Zambia will just go back to the old circus," he said. "We need to remove the incompetent people in the Football Association of Zambia." Zambia are due to play in the Cosafa Cup quarter-finals in May, and take part in qualifying for the 2006 Nations Cup later this year. | | See also:  Other top Africa stories: Links to more Africa stories are at the foot of the page. | |
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