By Mulenga Chapoloko
The death of retired veteran football referee and administrator Joseph Nkole has been confirmed on Friday morning.
Nkole, 67, was one of the three successful FAZ presidential candidates together with incumbent Andrew Kamanga and former vice President Emmanuel Munaile.
His death was announced to FAZ media by the widow Dorothy.
“He passed on in the early hours of today (Friday) at the Levy Mwanawasa Hospital. He had been on life support from Monday,” she said.
Funeral is at his Northmead home in Lusaka.
The former referee was a regional FIFA and CAF accredited match commissioner.
Nkole previously served as a FAZ executive committee member from 2004 to 2008.
He was once President of the defunct Referees Association of Zambia (RAZ).
Away from football, Nkole was serving as the Executive Director of the Cotton Association of Zambia until his death.
He recently toured the Copperbelt and North Western Provinces to canvas for votes from clubs.
Nkole was confident of winning the FAZ elections despite his underdog tag in the run up to the delayed Football House contest.
“I would not like to go into a fight believing I am a minion; I would like to win this contest and I promise that I will do what is required to bring back football on its peddles,” he told journalists in Ndola.
“I wouldn’t agree that I am the less fancied candidate of the three because the other two candidates must have come from somewhere where I was before and they haven’t been where I have been,” Nkole added.
Stakeholders on the local football front have paid their tribute to Nkole.
“It’s with great shock to hear of the passing on of Mr Nkole, as a football family we have again lost one of our own,” wrote former FAZ treasurer Kelvin Mutafu.
Veteran sports journalist Shamaoma Musonda, who worked with Nkole as a media consultant, described him as an honest individual.
“Sad news indeed! Devastating and rest in peace, big wise man. Always straightforward and honest,” Musonda said.
Meanwhile, Nkole’s family has announced that there will be no funeral gathering owing to the rise in Covid-19 cases.
Daughter Chileshe said only a few close relatives will be invited in person to attend funeral Mass and burial.
