Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Andrew Kamanga has extended an olive branch to soccer legend Kalusha Bwalya, inviting him to become the brand ambassador for the KoPa jersey.
Kalusha, a former FAZ president, has had a storied career in Zambian football, earning recognition as the only Southern African player to win the African Footballer of the Year award.
Despite a reportedly frosty relationship between Kamanga and Kalusha, the current FAZ president emphasized his willingness to collaborate with anyone, including former FAZ leaders.
According to Kamanga, FAZ wants Kalusha as the KoPa brand ambassador since 2017.
He recounted a conversation with Kalusha in Ghana, where Patson Daka received the Young Player of the Year award.
“I remember in 2017 when we started the KoPa brand… I was sharing [with Kalusha] that look, if you are not involved in the administration, you can still be with us as FAZ in a different role. We offered that he could be brand ambassador for the KoPa and nothing stops him from doing that,” Kamanga said.
The FAZ president reiterated that the invitation remains open.
“Even this time around, we would be happy for our immediate past FAZ president to be associated with FAZ in that respect, so we would be very happy if he took up that role as our brand ambassador.”