The curtain fell on Zambia’s most successful outing at the All-Africa Games yesterday on a low when the Under-23 team losing 1-0 to Tunisia in the race for Bronze in the two sides 3rd and 4th place play-off match.
A 73rd minute goal from Akrem Maatouk dashed 10-man Zambia’s hopes of collecting an 11th medal at tournament just 11 minutes after striker Felix Nsunzu was sent-off for rough play.
Their will be little rest for the Under 23 who now turn their attention to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games football tournament qualifiers next month when they travel to Bamako to face Mali on August 22.
Meanwhile, Following Africa amateur Light welterweight boxing champion Hastings Bwalya’s gold medal win, Zambia will bring home 10 medals when they return home on Thursday.
It is the best medal placing by Zambia since they first participated in the inaugural All-Africa Games in 1965.
The haul beats the 6 medals collected at the Nigeria All-Africa Games in 2003.
At this year’s games, Zambia won two silver in badminton and chess.
They were further bronze medals in Chess, badminton, boxing, judo and swimming.
Bushe bola nikosa nomba balumendo ?
It would appear that although we have the talent in Zambia somehow we do not seem to have that little extra umph that just takes to the next level.
I hardly seem much hope in the horizon especially looking at the Olympics coming round the corner.
Meantime good luck fellas…
Always, second best! An image we should work hard to transform. It appears the government is satisfied with this status quo. If it were not, we would have Olympic standard infrastructure by now, 43 years after independence. All those teams that we see doing well in these tournaments have good infrastructure, plan adequately for the games and camp their players in advance, attach various professionals to their teams offering high level technical know-how, avoid squabbles and pay participants well. Until we learn to do this medals will continue to be illusive for us and second best tag shall always be our feat.
What we have board room sports in Zambia .Look at FAZ that man mr Chiluba was at one time director of spots in the ministry of sports and hi did nothing apart from having tea in the office every 30 minutes. Now a man like him what can he do for the nation that,
if he couldn’t when he was at the sports ministry.
Forget about Olympics, it belongs to the West Africans. Do not be excited about the opportunistic 2-0 win over the Ivory Coast. I have no confidence and hope in Zambian soccer. Atleast not with the current situation in Zambian soccer. Its too much.
Can we also analyse the games individually before we generalise? This is the second game we played with 10 men. Recall we had our keeper sent off with Algeria but we managed to tie that game. Are we saying if we played with all 11 men we would have done better? Did anyone actually watch the game?. Is it our coaching staff that are not instilling the FIFA fair play in our lads?
Zambian Soccer “The jungle is better”. Football in Zambia has gone to the DOGS.
Ba Annonimous, remember that Zambia has never been the best football country on the continent because we have never won the Africa Cup. All the things we say to ourselves as Zambia being a power-house. Zambia will only be called a power-house when it brings home one of those prestigious cups. At least in as far as under 20, under 23, we are the only ones who have represented the entire Southern African region. Our West African friends have proved that they are dominating in the world of football(soccer) on the continent.
“Failing to plan is planning to fail,†goes an old adage. When you see all the countries that host the World Cup or Olympics, they do so with high tenacity in planning. Go to South Africa who are years away or China who are months away, you see the seriousness of planning and preparedness that they put into this. That certainly makes the difference. Look at the quality of football that Zambia played at the African Cup of Nations in 1994 when they reached the finals. They had camped in Europe for weeks and the difference was seen on the field. No investment, no profit, no profit no success, no success, no cerebration. Let us learn from others and quickly implement these lessons and we shall soon yield the required results.