World’s football body, FIFA, has handed the 1988 African Footballer of The Year Kalusha Bwalya of Zambia a two-year ban and fined him $100,000 for corruption.
Kulusha, who is a member of the CAF Executive and Technical Committees was found guilty of receiving $80,000 from disgraced former Asian football leader Bin Hammam.
Hammam sought to challenge banned former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter during the 2011 elections but pulled out of the race when vote-buying allegations emerged.
Bwalya was re-elected in March 2017 to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee but pulled out of the vote for a place on the FIFA Council.
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At the time, Bwalya cited need to focus on his role in Africa, but FIFA had opened an investigation into his conduct the previous month.
King Kalu as he is fondly known has vowed to fight “tooth and nail for justice to clear my name.”
He said he was surprised by the FIFA’s ethics body’s verdict and he will appeal against it and that he is not guilty.
“I have instructed my legal team to immediately appeal this decision urgently and would like to state that I am not guilty of any offence that allegedly took place,” the former Mufulira Wonderers player said.
“FIFAs decision is not final and I will fight tooth and nail for justice to clear my name,” he added.
Kalusha becomes the second prominent African leader to fall to corruption purge in less than three months.
Former Ghana FA president, who was also the first vice-president of CAF, Kwesi Nyantakyi, was forced to resign just before the World Cup after an investigative documentary nabbed him taking a cash bribe from alleged investors.
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