Malole member of parliament and former Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) spokesman Emmanuel Munaile has said the Teddy Mulonga-led executive has achieved nothing by qualifying the Chipolopolo Boys to two successive Africa Cup finals.

Speaking on QFM Radio's Soccer Chat yesterday, Munaile said qualifying to the Africa Cup tournament was not an achievement by any FAZ executive because Zambia has been to the continental tournament on many occasions.

"Qualifying to two Africa Cups is nothing and we have done that many times so it is not an achievement," he said.

Munaile said an executive could only be proud if the national team won the Africa Cup. "Unless a team has gone all the way to winning the trophy that's when one can say the executive has achieved something, not mere qualification," the independent MP and former international said.

Munaile was reacting to sentiments by FAZ spokesman Joseph Nkole and technical committee member Henshel Chitembeya who both said that the Mulonga executive had scored more successes than past regimes by qualifying to the Africa Cup in 2006 and this year.

Chitembeya has announced that he would re-contest his position as committee member at the FAZ annual general meeting billed for March 29. On Thursday, Chitembeya said during its four-year reign, the Teddy Mulonga-led executive had achieved a lot of succeesses, including clinching a kit deal with Nike. "We won the COSAFA Castle Cup, CECAFA Cup, qualified to the FIFA World Youth Cup, got a good kit sponsor with the Nike deal and a TV deal with SuperSport and we qualified for the Africa Cup twice," he said.

And on Friday, Nkole said the only minus for the current FAZ executive was failure to win the Africa Cup, but qualifying for the event was an achivement. But Munaile said there was nothing special about qualifying to the Africa Cup because Zambia easily booked a place at the biennial event.

"Zambia has been to the Africa and while I appreciate that we have qualified, but Zambia has been there before," he said. Munaile served as a committee member under Evaristo Kasunga's executive from 2000 to 2004.

However, FAZ committee member George Kasengele dismissed Munaile's statement, saying qualifying to the Africa Cup was a minimum requirement for any executive. "Qualifying to the Africa Cup is a minimum requirement for any executive and anything less is tantamount to failure and an executive is as good as dead," Kasengele said. Meanwhile, Munaile has reiterated his earlier calls for Zambia to employ an expatriate coach.

He said the current scenario demanded that FAZ engages a foreign trainer to drill the Chipolopolo Boys. "Circumstances change and times change and at this time we need an expatriate coach," Munaile said.

Munaile also said he was still consulting on whether to contest any position at the FAZ annual general meeting scheduled for March 29. He said there was no clause in the FAZ constitution that barred an MP from contesting positions in the association. Munaile also urged FAZ councillors to vote wisely for a dynamic leader.

The former FAZ spokesman and former Zambia international said he was an advocate of individual campaigns for the FAZ elections and not collective crusades. "Candidates must state which presidential candidate they would like to work with not the other way round," he said-The Post