SPORTS Minister Chishimba Kambwili has said that the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has bought a 20 hectare plot from the Luanshya Municipal Council to build a School of Excellence at a cost of US$30,000 (K156 million).

The school will be used to offer training in football skills to players in order to enhance their capacity and also as a camping site.

Kambwili was speaking in Parliament yesterday when he delivered a ministerial statement on the Africa Cup of Nations by the national football team and the controversy surrounding in eligibility of a Sudanese player used in Khartoum during the Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifier on June 2.

He said in addition to the AFCON trophy, the national soccer team was given US$ 1.5 million (about K7.8 billion) by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for winning the 2012 African title.

The minister said from the winning bonus, FAZ had since received US$ 1.2 million (K6, 240,000,000) in two equal trances of US$600,000 (about K3,120,000,000) leaving the balance of US$300, 000 (about K1,560,000,000).

Kambwili told the House that K1.5 billion had been budgeted to pay the technical bench and players, with each receiving an amount of K48, 875,000.

He said the amount would be an addition to the K300 million that each player got from the Government as a winning bonus.

Kambwili said with the winning of the AFCON, it was the hope of the people of Zambia that the national team would qualify to the first ever World Cup to be hosted by Brazil in 2014 and that the Chipolopolo would also win the World Cup trophy that would earn the country more foreign exchange.

The minister, however, informed the House that a number of Zambian firms pledged a total of K1, 930,000,000 to the national team following their victory at the AFCON finals that were co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon from January 21 to February 12, 2012.

He named the companies as Simba Football Club who pledged K50, 000,000 Zhonghi mining K500, 000,000, Zesco Limited K100, 000, 000, Zambia Lotto Company K50,000,000 and Trade Kings K200, 000, 000.

Others are First Quantum Mining plc K250, 000,000, Zambeef plc K20, 000, 000, Railway Systems of Zambia, K360, 000, 000, GBM K200, 000, 000 and MTN Zambia, K 200, 000, 000.

He said it was important to mention that out of the total pledges only K850, 000,000 had been remitted to FAZ, leaving a balance of K1, 080,000,000.

"In terms of monetary benefits which occurred to the nation for winning the 2012 AFCON Cup, I have the pleasure to announce that US$1.5 million will be injected in the economy. Already US$1.2 million has already been injected," Kambwili said.

The minister also told the House that each club in Division Two and three had been given K3 million to promote the sport, saying out of the 280 clubs, 90 per cent had received the money.

And on the use of an ineligible player by Sudan, Kambwili said FAZ made the observation on eligibility of the players being fielded and that it is true that the protest is supposed to be presented within the 24 or 48 hours.

Sudan used defender Saif Ali Eldin Adris who had accrued two yellow cards, leading to a red card during the quarter-finals at the AFCON tournament on February 4.

He said it was important to state that under the World Cup qualifying rules, the aggrieved party was required to submit the protest within five days.

The match was played on June 2 and FAZ lodged its complaint on June 7 to FIFA, the world governing body has referred the complaint to its disciplinary committee and the association awaits the outcome.

He said FAZ could not lodge in the complaint immediately after the match, so that the matter could be fully researched before lodging the protest.