FAZ suspends league games to accomodate prayers

All league games which were scheduled for Sunday, 18 October, 2015 have been cancelled in order to allow the football family to join the rest of the Zambian citizenry in the national day of prayer and fasting.

FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya says the prayer and fasting accords all citizens a chance to re-energise their relationships with God.

Kalusha says the Zambian football fraternity has always put God first in their endeavours stressing that the call to prayer by the Republican president, who is also Patron of the Football Association of Zambia, was a welcome initiative that Zambians must heed.

“Those that have attended our national training sessions and indeed our pre-match meetings, gatherings of the FAZ council and other FAZ programmes will testify that such events open and close with supplications to our God the Almighty Creator. Everything we do and the lives we have, we owe it to God our Creator. Therefore, this day of prayer and fasting called by His Excellency the President is very important for us as a football family, as Zambians and we will join His Excellency the president and the rest of the country in prayer and fasting,” Kalusha said adding: “It’s a time for all of us to rededicate ourselves to God, to re-energize our relationship with Him and beseech him to take the lead in our lives, our game and our country.”

The celebrated legend of Zambian football, a 1988 African Footballer of the Year and CAF Executive Committee member said the glory of the Zambian game, including the AFCON 2012 triumph, the heroics of Seoul 1988 and major development strides being recorded today were all possible because of the intervention of God the Almighty.

“So let us all find time on 18th October to gather to pray together and even to have personal one-on-one prayer moments with our Creator,” Kalusha said.

Football House has since released a statement announcing that all league matches which were scheduled to be played this weekend have been postponed. Saturday will have no league action because of the CHAN2016 Qualifier between Zambia and Mozambique at Levy Mwanawasa stadium and Sunday being the day of national prayer and fasting.

All games which were to be played this weekend will take place on Wednesday 21 October.