Africa-Press – Zambia. Inside Fashion Sakala’s Explosive Claim That Former FAZ President Kamanga Engineered His Fallout with Coach Grant
By John Musengule Palata | Investigative Sports Correspondent | May 6, 2025
In a dramatic turn that has sent shockwaves across Zambia’s football circles, sidelined Chipolopolo striker Fashion Sakala Jr has publicly claimed that his infamous fallout with national team coach Avram Grant was not only known by former FAZ President Andrew Kamanga, but also allegedly scripted by him.
Speaking during a live Facebook session from Saudi Arabia, the outspoken forward said Kamanga advised him on how to respond to voice notes and messages that Sakala described as “disrespectful” from the coach. He insisted that the language he used — which led to his exclusion from the national team — was part of a response “planned and accepted” between himself and the FAZ leader at the time.
> “I won’t apologise to play for the national team unless Mr. Kamanga apologises to the coach,” Sakala declared. “If he does that, and I’m called back, I will apologise too.”
A few months prior, an audio conversation between Sakala and FAZ spokesperson Sydney Mungala leaked to the public. In it, Sakala claimed that a certain agent had been pressuring Chipolopolo players to join his agency, threatening that those who refused would never be selected for the national team. The claims sparked debate but were never publicly addressed in detail by FAZ.
Now, Sakala has gone further, describing Kamanga as “not an honest man” and accusing the former FAZ boss of “duping” him. He also took a principled stand against alleged pay-to-play or agent-linked selection politics in national team call-ups:
> “No player should pay to play for the national team,” he said. “If all I wanted was to play, I would have apologised. Simple.”
Despite the bitterness, Sakala struck a patriotic tone:
> “What matters most is to see Zambia qualify for the World Cup, not for me to just be in the squad,” he said.
The Road Ahead:
As the current FAZ administration seeks to rebuild confidence in the Chipolopolo setup, Sakala’s claims may prompt deeper scrutiny into how top football decisions were handled during the Kamanga era.
Whether this leads to formal investigations or quiet reconciliation remains to be seen, but one thing is clear — Fashion Sakala Jr. has reopened a conversation Zambian football can no longer ignore.
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