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IT’S A SETBACK, SAYS ‘MICHO’

By MICHAEL MIYOBA

ZAMBIA national soccer team coach Milutin ‘Micho’ Sredojevic says the postponement of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers which were scheduled to resume in June is a setback for his charges and FAZ.

In an interview with FAZ media, “Micho” said preparations for the first World Cup qualifier against Mauritania which was slated for June 6th in Mauritania had reached advanced levels.

“Micho” said the technical bench has been working hard and lined up three international friendly matches meant to test the operational levels of his individual players and the whole team before their first qualifiers against Mauritania.

He however noted that he has a backup plan for the revised dates for the qualifiers which have been pushed to September.

“We are having a reserve programme with possible international friendly matches that will keep momentum of our team intact making us ready for the challenges ahead of us in the September World Cup qualifiers,” said “Micho.

Zambia is in Group B with Tunisia, Mauritania, and Equatorial Guinea.

Yesterday, CAF confirmed that the group phase of Africa’s World Cup qualifiers which were scheduled to kick off in June will now begin in September due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is the second time the qualifiers are being postponed having been first put off from October last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ironically, the decision to postpone the qualifiers comes a week after CAF approved a list of stadiums for the first two rounds of qualifiers with National Heroes Stadium and Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, listed as the only two venues capable of hosting a World Cup qualifier in Zambia.

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