By MICHAEL MIYOBA
ZAMBIA Sports Fans Association patron Peter Makembo has urged the Zambia National team to prepare adequately and beat Ivory Coast and qualify for the 2023 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations with a game to spare.
Zambia will host Ivory Coast in the much-anticipated 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) matchday five qualifier at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
A win or a draw for the Chipolopolo who are second in Group H with nine points collected from three wins and one defeats, will guarantee a return to the continental championship after missing the last three editions of the tournament.
Makembo said Ivory Coast, who are unbeaten in group H with 10 points is a beatable side as they showed their weakness during their goalless draw against Lesotho in one of their away matches.
Makembo said fans will do their part to inspire the Chipolopolo to deliver the much-needed victory for Zambia to bounce back to competing at the AFCON.
“Ivory Coast must fall and as fans we are ready to give the boys that extra push for them to deliver a win on home soil,” Makembo said.
“We are not scared of Ivory Coast. Yes, they did beat us in the first game of the qualifiers and they may be unbeaten in our group but that doesn’t mean that they are not beatable. We saw how they struggled against Lesotho and we believe our boys have what it takes to end their unbeaten run,” he said.
Makembo, who led fans as they filled up the stadium during the Chipolopolo legends vs Barcelona legends at Heroes Stadium last week encouraged Zambians to do the same on June 17 in Ndola.
Meanwhile, tickets for the Ndola match have gone on sale in all Shoprite outlets countrywide via Computicket.
According to a statement from the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ), early purchasers will have an opportunity to grab the tickets at a very low price of K20.
The North Wing and South Wings tickets are trading at K50 while the East Wing tickets are fetching K150 with the West Wing and VIP tickets going for K200 and K750 respectively.
