The Football Association of Zambia (Faz) has decided to shelve initial plans to camp the national team in Spain.
Faz vice president Emmanuel Munaile announced this during the associations weekly press briefing on Wednesday at Football House.
Munaile said the team will instead now hold its pre-Africa Cup tournament training camp in South Africa.
“That (The plan to camp the team in Spain) was just an option,” Munaile said. “The Spain camp has fallen through.”
Munaile said the team will camp in Johannesburg where they will play three friendly matches including one against 2010 World Cup finalists South Korea on January 9 before heading off to Angola.
He said two other friendly matches will be played before the match against South Korea also in South Africa.
Meanwhile, 16 local and foreign-based call-ups go into camp in Lusaka this Sunday.
The team that enters camp this weekend will also include midfielder Isaac Chansa of Swedish club Helsingborg.
Chansa has been recalled to the fold after reconciling with Herve Renard following his comments after he was left on the bench in Zambia’s 1-0 loss to Egypt in Chililabombwe on October 10.
Defender Emmanuel Mbola of Pyunik Yerevan in Armenia is the other prominent European-based player expected for the Zambia leg of training camp.
The team will leave for South Africa over Christmas where they will link-up with the rest of the foreign-based players.
And Munaile said the official list of the remaining foreign-based call-ups for pre-Africa Cup training camp will be announced later.
Team:
Goalkeepers: Joshua Titima (Zanaco), Davey Kaumbwa (Green Buffaloes), Jacob Banda (Zesco United), Rabson Muchelen’ganga (Power Dynamos)
Defenders: Hichani Himoonde (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Dennis Banda (Green Buffaloes), Emmanuel Mbola (Pyunik Yerevan), Thomas Nyirenda, Charles Siyingwa, Eugene Shamakamba (All Zanaco)
Midfielder: Isaac Chansa (Helsingborg, Sweden), Fwayo Tembo (Etoile Du Sahel, Tunisia), Stopilla Sunzu (Zanaco), Sebastian Mwansa (Green Buffaloes)
Strikers: Kennedy Chola (City of Lusaka), Given Singuluma (TP Mazembe, DR Congo)
Bane, Reasons why you cant camp in spain are as follows:
1. Its cheaper in SA (after all, Jomo Cosmos will give you a run for your money)
2. Kalu walubuli sana! We have no time to start sending lawyers to Spain!
3. Spain and North Korea are two different teams all together (unless you have forgotten the 9-0 bashing you got from Belgium in 94)
4.Tatukwete impiya bane! Why cant it sink through your heads??!
Ba Moze, well said, Kalusha kuti atuletelela ku spain.
And on a serious note, this makes more sense than having to go and camp in spain where the wheather is so different from Angola. And It would have been just too expensive for nothing. And forgive me bloggers for being negative, it would have been just a too much more watse of time and money camping in spain cause no matter what happens, i dont see us going thru the preliminary round. It hurts but its true!
I knew that Kalusha would propose for SA since thats were he stays .Nevertheless, its all good for our team exposure
why just announcing the preleminary team ,is it because you chaps want to leave out Andrew Sinkala from the team.If you take a weak team and don’t win a single game at the afcon the frenchman should not even think of jumping on the plane back from Angola.I will take it personnel and wait for him at the international airport and tell him want i think of him.We need the strongest team ever ,call all the professionals that are active and assess them we need every zambian for this one.We are no longer interested in stories.National pride is at stake.
who came up with spain? we should if possible camp in Angola itself.
#4 I really support you,why only in Zambia failures are embraced ? if he fails to produce any result he should be fired no excuse .If FAZ will fail to fire him this time a demostration will do
#1, walanda bwino sana! nangu pa mumbwa apa kutu ba camping!
i cldnt agree more with#4..So Chabe.this french man shld assemble a strong team for the afcon.we hav been goin to the afcon in the past as tourists and mare participants.this time around we need to there and play some football.this coach and his boss, kalusha boxing bwalya,shld swallow their pride and call the likes of,Ian Bakala,Andrew sinkala,Billy Mwanza,who am told is in zambia rite nw..ba tana..can stil play just like Song from Cameroon.Ba Milanzi and so on.we need a stong team pa Angola.
just camp in mongu, its much cheaper
good move, but lets hope the other 2 friendlies wont be against small SA clubs..
its about time!… at least a few in FAZ have brains left for common sense…going to spain barely 3 weeks left b4 kick off in angola and yet all teams from up north are heading towards angola…????cameroon (kenya) ,ivory coast(tanzania)…how dare they even put this rubbish as a workable plan .it just goes to show how serious the kalu – FAZ crisis needs sorting out urgently .whether its kalu or his administrators but they must be some form of a board where hopeless decisions like going to spain or sending a make shift team to play ghana in uk are finalised .Obviously,the primary goal for FAZ officials is not the national team but their allowances and a trip for christmas shopping .As a result , the team will always come short and thats why FAZ needs new blood and not recycled staff .