…as Chipolopolo regroup to intensify AFCON preps
By MICHAEL MIYOBA
THE Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) says the Chipolopolo boys will play an international friendly match against Cameroon on January 9 to prepare for the delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations slated for next month in Ivory Coast.
The Avram Grant-tutored Chipolopolo boys are set to regroup in Lusaka today as preparations for AFCON intensify.
FAZ president Andrew Kamanga said Zambia will play two international friendly matches before the AFCON in Ivory Coast.
“The technical bench has rolled out a preparatory programme that will see the team head to Saudi Arabia for a slightly above 10-day intense training camp. We are lucky that some foreign-based players will be available to join both the local and international camp as we prepare for the tournament,” Kamanga said.
“We will play an international friendly match against Cameroon on January 9 and have another game lined up that we will announce in due course. Our team is expected to leave for Saudi Arabia on January 1.
Going by the CAF prescribed roadmap, the provisional squad will be down to 27 on January 3. We can only urge the fans to support the technical bench and squad in their quest to propel our team to glory,” Kamanga said.
He added that FAZ has been engaging other stakeholders to widen possibilities around making the AFCON experience an unforgettable journey.
“The corporate world has been encouraged to take up some aspects of sponsorship which could not be restricted to supporting the team but also fan engagement. There are a few opportunities that we hope will culminate in having a more solid fan base on the ground in San Pedro. We are using the remaining window to ensure that we solidify support towards the AFCON campaign outside the traditional sponsors,” Kamanga said.
Meanwhile, Kamanga saluted Copper Queens star Rachel Kundananji for becoming the first African to win the Goal50 award.
Kamanga is confident that a Zambian will soon win the Women’s football top prize having also witnessed Copper Queens captain Barbra Banda and Grace Chanda finishing in the top three of the last two additions of the CAF football awards.
“In 2022 we had Grace Chanda making the top three finish which makes us believe we are not too far from claiming the top prize. There is no reason to doubt that after playing at the Olympics, won bronze at the WAFCON, and featured at the 2022 FIFA World Cup the Copper Queens can stand toe-to-toe with any team in the world,” Kamanga said.
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