THE Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has signed a two-year football development co-operation agreement with the Royal Football Federation of Morocco (FRM).
The partnership is aimed at developing football standards in the respective countries.
FRM has signed similar agreements with the Nigerian Football Federation and Football Association of Malawi.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) covers areas of youth development, senior teams, refereeing, camping teams, coaching programmes and medical research and analysis.
FAZ president Andrew Kamanga and Moroccan FA boss Fouzi Lekjaa signed the MoU in Casablanca, Morocco.
According to a statement posted on the FAZ Facebook page, the deal will enable Zambian teams to use facilities at the Moroccan Federation’s Technical Centre that include six state-of-the-art pitches, video analysis, medical facilities and accommodation.
“This is a milestone in as far as football development is concerned. The MoU will target youth football for both boys and girls, including coaching programmes.
“ This is an exchange programme for all our national teams. Our aim is to make sure our teams are well-equipped technically and mentally to be able to perform at the highest level possible,” Kamanga said.
He said both countries are set to benefit from the agreement.
Kamanga said FAZ will strive to enter into similar agreements that will have immediate and direct impact on the development of football at all levels.
“This agreement will have a very big impact on all our programmes. For instance, the women’s league is in its infancy, we intend to introduce under-14 and 15 teams.
“For us to develop these structures, we will require the right infrastructure we can get. With such an agreement on the table, the future of our game looks bright,” he said.
He said Football House will continue to solicit for various co-operation agreements from other associations.
