By MICHAEL MIYOBA
THE Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) says coach Aljosa Asanovic who on Sunday resigned as national soccer team coach did not meet the targets which were given to him when he was first engaged as Chipolopolo coach.
Asanovic was handed a four-year contract with a task to qualify Zambia for the African Nations Championships (CHAN) and the Africa Cup of Nations.
FAZ president Andrew Kamanga said the Croatian did not meet the targets as he spent most of his time in his homeland instead of being available, and overseeing his full-time responsibilities in Zambia.
“We had hoped when the journey began that Asanovic could have been more available, overseeing his full-time responsibilities in Zambia and not from his homeland,” Kamanga said.
“We are also cognisant that his contract came with key performance indicators that were plainly spelt out that he did not meet.”
Kamanga said FAZ is in consultation with government and other stakeholders on the next steps that will be taken to ensure that the right coach is found before the commencement of the next round of AFCON qualifiers in March next year.
“A lot of the matters around this separation are still subject of a dispute that is being worked out in the background and constrains us from delving into details,” Kamanga said.
Meanwhile, Kamanga said the FIFA International window matches against Mali offered the Chipolopolo good preparations for the AFCON qualifiers.
Kamanga hailed the Malian Football Federation for having agreed to play Zambia and fielded a star-studded cast representing the cream of Mali to give Zambia a good test.
He noted that it was unfortunate that some key players such as captain Enock Mwepu and Patson Daka of Brighton and Leicester City could not take part in the two friendly games due to medical reasons.
“While it was our desire to have everyone that travelled to participate, we had to rely on the recommendation of the medical experts who guided on the situation. We can only wish our afflicted players a quick recovery,” Kamanga said.
On the Copper Queens who have stepped up preparations for the Australia/New Zealand FIFA Women’s World Cup with a monumental international friendly match against the Orange Lionesses of Netherlands, Kamanga said; “We expect that the Copper Queens will get more international games before heading to the FIFA World Cup next year as part of our commitment to give them quality friendly matches.”
Zambia will play Netherlands in Breda on October 6 in a game that will provide a strong test for the Bruce Mwape-drilled side.
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