The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) says it has engaged the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over concerns regarding the carrier of Zambia’s second continental slot.
In a statement released today, FAZ revealed that it has requested a waiver of the requirement that a winner of a national cup competition represents the Member Association in the Confederation Cup while it aligns the competition to CAF requirements.
Acting FAZ General Secretary Iva Lengwe said the association has written to CAF to seek the continental body’s intervention in the matter.
“We have listened to our clubs and we agree that the timing and format presents genuine challenges. As FAZ, we have responsibly engaged CAF to explain our situation and to ask that our context be taken into account,” said Lengwe.
FAZ hopeful CAF will consider request
He said FAZ understands CAF’s regulations but believes the current transition requires dialogue and flexibility.
“In its present format, the ABSA competition does not yet achieve the breadth of participation or national inclusivity that would ordinarily characterise a fully open national cup. Participation is limited in scope at various tiers, and the structure does not consistently engage the entire football pyramid across all provinces and divisions,” Lengwe said.
Lengwe said FAZ is hopeful that CAF will grant Zambia leeway to regularise its status during the transitional window, stressing that the association is not seeking to undermine CAF rules but aims to ensure the team representing Zambia does so on merit, competitiveness and fairness during the period, and added that the membership will be duly updated on the outcome of the request to CAF.
Last month, the Zambian Premier League (ZPL) informed clubs that the winner of the 2026 ABSA Cup will qualify for the CAF Confederation Cup.
The decision was opposed by some clubs, including Zesco United, Mufulira Wanderers, and Power Dynamos, who argued that such a decision should have been communicated at the beginning of the season.
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