Thursday, March 28, 2024

SA Telkom Cup puts a spanner in Zambia’s Cosafa Cup build-up.

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Zambia national team stand-in coach Fighton Simukonda could draft some junior internationals into his squad ahead of next Saturdays Cosafa Castle Cup semifinal match against Mozambique at Super Stadium in Tswane with uncertainty over the avalibility of four South African based players due to club commitments.

The South African Telkom Cup that kicks off next Wednesday will see call-ups from Free State Stars, Moroka Swallows and Golden Arrows possibly missing the match against Mozambique.

Simukonda said he could only confirm Free State Stars and Zambia first choice goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene availability for the Mozambique game.

“We will make a decision as to the changes by 10:00 hrs Friday but that will be after we talk to the affected players and know their positions, ” Simukonda said who is standing in as Zambia’s head coach in the absence of Patrick Phiri.

“But I can confirm that Kennedy Mweene he says he will be available for the game.”.

Simukonda said his technical bench had already drawn up a standby list of players from the junior national teams whom they will call-up should the four call-ups not be available for next weekends Cosafa Castle Cup match against Mozambique.

The Four likely to miss the Mozambique match are Mweene’s club mate Kampamba Chintu plus defenders Billy Mwanza and Joseph Musonda of Golden Arrows including Striker Songwe Chalwe of Moroka Swallows.

Only Wits University striker Noah Chivuta will not be affected by the Telkom Cup because his team will only be in action in the same competition on October 5 at home against Jomo Cosmos.

The South African clubs are not obliged to release any of their players because the COSAFA Castle Cup semifinal match will not be held during a FIFA designated window for playing international games.

Arrows, Free State Stars and Swallows are all in Telkom Cup action on September 26, 28 and 29th away to Mamelodi Sundowns, Ajax Cape Town and Kaizer Chiefs respectively.

The Swallows game will be played on the same date as Zambia will be in action against Mozambique in Tswane.
Six South African based players were originally called-up for the COSAFA Castle Cup semifinal match while another three are from Angola.

South Africa, who play Botswana in the other semifinal clash at the same venue, too are facing a similar dilemma.
Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Aberto Parreira faces the possibility of facing Botswana without eight key players from both Chiefs and Ajax Cape Town.

Zambia are the COSAFA Castle Cup defending champions after beating fellow three-time champions Angola 2-0 on October 21,2006 at Independence Stadium.

25 COMMENTS

  1. Bicskei in for interview

    By CHISHALA MUSONDA

    THE Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) is today scheduled to interview Hungarian Bertalan Bicskei for the position of national team coach despite public outcry that Patrick Phiri should continue tutoring the squad.

    FAZ dropped front-runner Noel Tosi in preference for Bicskei after differences emerged within the executive committee over the invitation of the Frenchman.

    The association had announced that a three-year deal had been structured for Tosi’s consideration after interviews but hell broke loose when FAZ technical committee chairman Henschel Chitembeya pleaded ignorance to the matter.

    FAZ quietly settled on Bicskei before association president Teddy Mulonga announced that they would not engage a coach now because Phiri had a contract which runs up to December this year.

    There have been calls from the public not to engage an expatriate coach because Phiri had qualified the team for the 2008 Africa Cup after wiring Carlos Parreira’s South Africa 3-1 on September 9.

    The public had also protested against bringing only one coach for interviews when five were shortlisted for the top coaching job.

    Chitembeya could not confirm that Bicskei would arrive for interviews today but sources said the former Malaysia national team coach had been preferred and would be interviewed.

    The 63-year-old former Hungarian goalkeeper succeeded Allan Harris as Malaysia coach in 2004 and was relieved of his duties in 2005.

    Bicskei led the Malaysian national team to third place at the regional Tiger Cup competition, but the Football Association of Malaysia demoted him to youth development duties because of his actions during a friendly against Singapore in Penang on June 8, 2005.

    Bicskei, disgusted by the standard of officiating, threw a bottle onto the pitch before confronting a Singapore player.

    In September 2005, the contract was terminated after mutual agreement.

  2. This is what I tried to say. In such a tournament you need new blood. It is not necessary to bring professionals for this. What if one day our pros are not there? Who do we turn to? We have to get used to trying new blood. It does not have to be juniour internationals. Other local based players in the league could be assessed in the tournament.

  3. This is a blessing in disguise,i suggested that the use the U-23 for this game.The boys need much preparation before their next game against Senegal in October.As said i know Mozambique is an improved team but with the talent we have we certainly can beat Mozambique using the U-23 and U-20 Players.Willie Phiri one of the best Mid- fielders Zambia has ever produced, says in the Times of Zambia that, “lets use the junior players we have ear marked for the Ghana 2008 in this game”.
    I feel Davies Mwape should have been included in the team as one of the strikers the man has shown a lot of improvement of late.Noel Chivuta i think he is a mid-fielder but he has been called in as striker.Noel is doing well in the middle of the park for his team Bidvest.The young Man C.Mulenga should also be called in hes played with the senior team before.Anyway we will be there to support the guys come next Saturday.

  4. The FAZ should be abolished, liquidated, hounded, flashed out, kicked out of their term they are such an embarassment. Kalusha is saying he is unaware about the interviews of the new coach to be conducted today. We are sick up to the stomach and tired up to the head of this circus of yours, please give us a break. We deserve better leadership than yours.

  5. GB #5.James Chamanga was released by Super Sport after the new coach G.Hunt came in.He’s now at Moroka Swallows where he’s yet to start a game or even come of the bench.Whiles at S.S he used to play reguraly but change of ‘regime’ cost him a place.Some coaches want their own players.Songwe Chalwe just started the first game of the season then he was relegated to the bench.He’s been coming off the bench in the last three or four games for Swallows.
    For me i think players just need to spend a season or two in S.Africa then move on if you can to Europe otherwise they can finish you here.I know some guys may disagree but look S.Chalwe,Chamanga,Lelo Mbele (Congolese).But if a player doesn’t get the opportunity to move then it’s fine to stay and earn a living and continue career wise.Davies Mwape was nearly finished by Pirates but look at what Jomo Sono has done with the lad.Only J.Sono understands foreign players better.

  6. Let’s give the pros a break and try U-20, U-23 and some older seasoned local players for cosafa. We can still hammer Botswana. It will be interesting to see Mayuka and Sebastian Mwansa playing for Zambia. Let’s expose the boys early so that come 2010 we are even hotter. Eto’o from cameroon went to the 98 world cup at 17 look at him now. We can also see if some of them have what it takes to go to Ghana.

  7. Jomo Sono is a great one. He does not discriminate. Look at what hes done to Chris Katongo. Mwape should just stay focussed he will go far. Felix, Chris’ young brother ruined his chances because of indispline. Benjani Mwaruwari is another one of the players Jomo has nurtured.
    A mixture of U-20, U-23 and local senior players should feature for the COSAFA Cup.

  8. #6, Kalusha and FAZ are all jokers and incompetent. This is the same Kalusha who claimed he didn’t know he was the delegation leader when the U20 arrived here in Canada without hotel or food cash. Only to show up a week later and attempt to hijack the team from Lwandamina! Samakai had to step in.

    As for Mbesuma, let him buy Roan United, I’m sure he can afford it. That way he can always be in Luanshya as owner/player/coach while his cronies and bootlickers are in the grandstand. What wooos!

  9. I think the real gems of the U-20 are Emmanuel Mayuka and Sebastian Mwansa. Though Kola, cliff Mulenga,Fwayo Tembo and Stophira Sunzu are also decent.

  10. I forgot to mention one other defender who was impressive. Joseph Zimba. He’s a good right back. He did well to contain Spain’s Diego Capel. Otherwise we would have lost by more.

  11. Zambia has so much talent at the moment. It’s just so mouth watering. South Africa can’t compete with us. We sent a team to the FIFA U-20 world cup. That is no joke. The U-23 are looking hot. My my.

  12. I just read an article which said Bafana striker ‘Terror’ Fanteni was going for trials in Europe. I mean that guy is crap. How do these South African’s get these deals. Mayuka is much younger than him but he’s a better striker. Why can’t we get our just rewards?

  13. We are getting a lot of publicity on FIFA.COM.We are certainly being recognised. Last week I saw an article written in one of the Zimbabwean papers where journalists were analysing Zim’s chances of going to the 2010 world cup. One thing I can tell you is African’s are now scared of Zambia. The journalists said the worst possible scenario for Zim would be to be drawn with Cotedivoire and Zambia. Zambia was described as one of the dangerous teams to face at the moment.

  14. All is going well for all national teams except for the under 17 team and right now will be a perfect time to bring in an expatriate coach to contribute to what coach Phiri,Kaumba and Chicken George are doing.
    What an expatriate coach always does well is work on attitude and bring the best out of players.
    Right now there is abundance of potential at all levels.

  15. You’d think that FAZ would be a better organisation with names like Teddy Mulonga and Kalusha Bwalya at the helm.
    I will congratulate because Zambia qualified for the Under 20 world cup,Africa cup and possibly the olymics but what I dont understand is why they havent hired an expatriate coach and yet the money is there and that it wont come from their pocket?.Kcm offreded to pay the coach ages ago.
    Mulo Kalu,why?

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