The Zambia Under-23 national team entered day 2 of training camp in Lusaka ahead of next weekends Olympic Games football tournament Group B qualifier away to Cote d’Ivoire in Abidajn on November 17.
Four players continue to be absent from Under-23 training camp due to BP Top 8 final commitments this Saturday.
Nakambala Leopards and Kabwe Warriors who meet Saturdays BP Top final match to be played at Nkoloma stadium in Lusaka have held on to their key players for the weekend fixure.
Warriors have held on to defenders Bronson Chama and Under-23 captain Clive Sichondwe including striker Emmanuel Mayuka.
Demoted Nakambala have also kept striker Signs Chibambo away from Under-23 training camp to prepare for their showdown against Warriors.
“They are not new players and they have played with us for a long time and know what to do,” Kaumba said today at the end of Thursday morning’s training session at Queensmead.
“We’ve trained with Mayuka in Maamba when he joined us for the first time and we know what to expect from him too,” Kaumba said.
Kaumba said he was expecting the four players in camp on Saturday evening immediately after the BP Top Eight final.
He said the three South African based players called for the game against Ivory Coast will join the team next week en route to Abidjan.
Kaumba said the team leaves for Abidjan on Thursday, November 15 ahead of the match scheduled for Saturday the 17th.
Team:
Goalkeepers: Rabson Muchelenganga (Power Dynamos), Kalililo Kakonje (Nathi Lions, South Africa), Jacob Banda (Zesco United).
Defenders: Bronson Chama, Clive Sichondwe (Both Kabwe Warriors), Hichani Himoonde (Lusaka Dynamos), Charles Siyingwa (Konkola Blades), Maybin Ngosa (Green Buffaloes), Davies Nkausu (Pretoria University, South Africa), Eugene Shamakamba (Zamtel FC)
Midfielders: Francis Kasonde, Simon Bwalya, Norman Munthali (All Power Dynamos), William Njobvu (Lusaka Dynamos), Thimothy Mbewe (Red Arrows), Stophira Nsunzu (Konkola Blades)
Forwards: Signs Chibambo (Nakambala Leopards), Emmanuel Mayuka (Kabwe Warriors), Reuben Tembo (Green Buffaloes), Given Singuluma (Bay United, South Africa), Felix Nsunzu (Konkola Blades)
Ba FAZ mafi. We need friendlies. Namibia will be playing Tunisia on 17 Nov., South Africa will be playing Canada on 15 Nov and later in the month USA, Nigeria will be playing Egypt next week and later Sudan. I do not know what is happening with us. This is not the time to start looking for a squad. This is bullshit. Dont expect success at AFCON 2008. We are used to being “tourists” at competitions anyway and the main culprits are the football administrators. Players cannot be blamed.
If there is no national team then the current under 23 team should go to Ghana instead of wasting time and money. When will bafikala ba FAZ learn? Every time they expect to reap what they do not sow.
I court from Germany Chanellor Helmut Kohl who said this when Germany won the Eurpean Cup in 1996 ” Never chnage a win team”. Though the idea of selecting players from a broad base is good but it has come at a wrong time because now we must have been polishing up. what is happenning now is like teaching a child to craw when she or he can already run. Billy is right though insulting is not the way out of registering sentiments this time Zambia must have been organising friendly matches so that..
ctd. players get exposed. We just hope the selection will not take long. This will hamper Zambia. We need serious preparation there is nothing for nothing. It takes time to make a formidable team.
My dear brothers I can confirm that Namibia will play Egypt,Senegal and Tunisia. They have already played Saudi Arabia and Morocco. This is why Ben is succeeding. He failed in Zambia becuase those quaks in FAZ were to busy glob trotting and finishing resources.
Yes we need friendlies. Who the hell came up with this issue of selecting players now. Whats the idea. I know this is important but it should have been done ages ago. This is time for polishing up like somebody mentioned above. Something is really wrong in football admin. Already according to BBC reporting, Mulonga was quoted as saying that Zambia playing its WC 2010 qualifying matches outside Zambia is now a possibility. May we really see sanity in Zambian football.
We can’t be selecting and looking for players now.What we supposed to be doing is getting these players ready for battle.The coach should have just picked the players, he knows the guys that have been doing well locally.I am sure P.P and Simukonda have been watching local games. R.Kalaba, W.Chinyama,E.Mayuka,Sakala(Zesco),Francis Kasonde, K.Nhetani,G.Kolala(Keeper)W.Mukuka,W.Njovu… etc are just some of the players that have been doing well locally.This is mid November we still don’t know which
Cont #7. players we want to take to Ghana or we already know the bulk of the team? Why not ask Lwandamina(U-20), Kaumba(U23)and W.Nyirend(U17s) to recommend players ,then fuse these with the guys that have been playing the qualifiers that would include M.Sichone,E.Tana.Tana has some data on Sudan our first opponents cos the majority of the Sudanese play locally with Tana.Get all these players on a Fifa calendar then play a high profile Friendly.Mind you only about 3 FIFA days remaining this
Cont #8. year.You can only have your European based players free on these days.Most teams are having friendlies this week end which is a FIFA calendar and 21/11/2007 Wednesday.By the time we want a friendly game we wont have the guys in Europe cos the will be busy with their clubs.Only the local players will play the friendly and the majority won’t serious play in Ghana.Namibia Tunisia 17/11/07,SA vs USA,17/11/07,Senegal vs Mali,Nigeria vs Autralia 17/11/07 all these games will played on a Fifa
Cont #9.Calendar day.One wonders who’s to blame is it just FAZ or Govt or maybe even the coach for lack of planning?
FAZ is CRAP. You think they even know these FIFA calendar dates? They still plan as if we are in the 1970s. We this kind of planning, we will keep on dreaming of winning the AFCON cup forever.
Sorry in # 11 I meant ”With this kind…”
AFCON? We are far from it. All we do is to make up numbers at competitions. Ask those countries who have won it. It involves serious preparations. In Zambia we are just playing games.
I proud to be Zambian but some of the things that happen in Zed leave a lot to be desired.
Honestly, how can a country that has been independent for more than 40 years fail to build a decent internationally (fifa) approved soocer stadium.
Now we face the prospect of playing home games away, shame.
Imagine what injrury this will cause to our pride as zambians. This is simply, high level irresponsibility and very much unaccepatable
Ba Kemps,ala tukasebana. Lets hope the chocholis rebuilding Dag will finish the job in time for WC 2014 qualifiers.
#15
You are right. This should have never been allowed to reach this level. Lets hope they do something to save our pride as a nation
Ivory Coast are assembling the best team for the match against Zambia whilst Peter Kaumba refuses to draft Kalaba and Mulenga because they feature for the senior team. Really that begs elementary logic. Does the man know what is at stake? Why do our leaders think like this surely. The prevous U-23 team which scored immense success comprised players from the three tiers of our national team. we had Mbesuma featuring for both senior and U-23. Why not Kalaba and Mulenga Ba Peter!! Be proactine Man
The problem with Zambia is that we’ve got people who pretend to be normal and yet they are not. How can you leave behind valuable players in a crucial match. May this country wake up. The sleeping is too much.
Muntuza # 17 i am equally baffled by Peter Kaumba.I smell some ‘Politics’ into this decision to leave out R.Kalaba and C.Mulenga.That’s why at times its good to have an Expatriate Coach he wont get bogged down by these ‘politics’.He will just choose the best available players.Period