The kickoff to the 2008 football league season is just a month away and a new-look Zanaco has been modest about their chances for major honors in the new term.
Zanaco today played their first training game at their Sunset Stadium home ground that is for the first time this year that has been unplayable after being waterlogged due to the current heavy rains.
The 2005 and 2006 league champions who failed to retain their crown last season hosted demoted National Assembly this afternoon in a friendly match they won 4-2 parading several new faces in their line-up.
Some include Zambia Under-23 defenders Eugene Shamakamba and Charles Siyingwa have joined from Zamtel and Afrisports respectively.
Under-20 striker Kasuba Mwila has arrived on loan from Lusaka Dynamos together with his club mate and defender Luka Banda also from Dynamos.
Also in training today was Under-20 star striker Roger Kola from Edusport while midfielder Simon Sinyangwe has been drafted in from division 1 south team Riflemen.
All were in action this afternoon with Kola scoring Zanaco’s second before the first quarter of the match just minutes before he limped off with a knock.
Other goals came from Ignatius Lwipa who scored a brace and Winston Kalengo.
Missing was the promising Under-20 playmaker Henry Banda who is on loan from Kabwe Warriors who is out injured.
Meanwhile, Zanaco coach Wesley Mondo who has just been awarded a long term deal after being in temporal charge from August to December last year.
Mondo took over at Zanaco midway through last year following the dismissal of Fighton Simukonda was modest about The Bankers chances of winning the league this year.
The Zanaco said after the match the main priority was to blend the new faces in Zanaco’s rebuilding process with the old while a top 4 finish was their target while the 2008 league crown would be an added bonus.
Zanaco failed to retain their league title for a third successive year after winning the crown in 2005 and 2006 leading to the sacking of Simukonda after a poor run of results in the first half last season.
Zanaco went on to finish 7th under Mondo but played made no major impact in any cup competitions last season that saw Zesco win their first ever top-flight crown under the formers ex-coach Wedson Nyirenda.
Zesco meanwhile returned home on Thursday from an 18-day training camp in the United Arab Emirates.
Zanaco still has a long way to do.They should learn to gloom their own players
“I was shocked when the coach (Patrick Phiri) told me that I was dropped. I did not believe my ears, I could not hold back my tears,” Mbesuma, who plies his trade at Turkish top team Bursaspor, said.”I cried, I pleaded with the coach to just let me play one game but he refused.”
“Coach Phiri had taken away the most important thing of my life,” he said. “I did all I could to get to Tunisia and join the team, even if I had difficulties with my visa, I still made it. I was very stunned that I did not make it.”Mbesuma said he has accepted the situation and was now working on shading his weight to regain his form.
I will look after myself well from now onward. I will watch what I eat so that I can get back in shape again and be the good striker that I am,” Mbesuma said.
“i will watch what i EAT” …… what about what you DRINK? YOUR ATTITUDE? and not to mention LABIA? MY BROTHER MBESUMA NEED TO DO ALOT. TWO DAY BEFORE THE MATCH WHILE YOUR FRIENDS ARE IN CAMP YOU ARE BUSY GIVING PRESS CONFERENCE IN BARS/DISCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HE NEEDS ALOT OF HELP
THERE ARE TWO ZAMBIAN PLAYERS IN EUROPE WHO HAVE BEEN SICK WITH PNEUMONIA FOR MORE THAN ONE MONTH NOW ANYYBODY TO SHED MORE LIGHT ON THIS? SORRY BROTHERS AM JUST ASKING OUT OF CURIOUSITY
WHY WAS THE ZAMBIAN COACH F( MHSRIP) LOSE HIS JOB IN NAMIBIA TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE AFCON 2008?
WHY DID FELIX KATONGO LEAVE SOUTH AFRICA?
Wow! Abulaziz my friend you are indeed an interesting man to follow but you are at the same time very misleading in all your comments. Your stance change in a minute like chameloen. You are a flip-flopper. Stick to conservative or democractic opinions rather being both at once.
I am with Abdul Aziz on this one. But I don’t understand what you mean on the Felix Katongo leaving South? Mbesuma is a waste of talent. Just like Emmanuel Zulu. Not like Clifford Mulenga (I hope).
Ka Abdula Aziz aba naka shi bonse wale to..mba mu zed balifwa ku mwa lwele yobe. Wanya ch…kala next n we bo
no insults brothers cool……
we are on the zambian players profiles right…………………..
BROTHERS ARE WE TOGETHER?
WHERE ARE THESE TWO HEROS ELIJWA LWITONA AND EVENC SWAKALA?
WITHIN WEEKS HE WAS DEAD? ARE WE TOGETHER? MHSRIP
COARCH PATRIC PHIRI ONCE SAID FELIX SUZNZ OFF CAREEER BEHAVIOUR WAS LIKE …. WHO KNOWS!!! ALLAH BE WITH YOU ALL BROTHERS
LETS AVOID INSULTS BROTHER!!! ALLAH BE WITH Y’ALL
LETS AVOID INSULTS BROTHER!!! ALLAH BE WITH Y’ALL
AM JUST FOLLOWING ZAMBIAN NEWS BROTHER
PLEASE DON’T INSULT ME AM ACTUALLY JUST ASKING
PLEASE DON’T INSULT ME AM ACTUALLY JUST ASKING
zealot
brother #23 are you one? zealots?
IWE WECHIPUBA ABUD ASS LEKA IFYA BUPUBA WALITUMPA SANA
hey abdu, where are you from exactly?
Clifford Mulenga is dating Mampi.Let’s hope she does not finish the guy.
Uh Oh!……She’s got issues or what?
Dave, who is Mampi? I live in Namibia so I don’t much about pipo in Z these days. Anyway even Kalu dated Maureen Nkandu those days.
#29 Mampi is a young sexy musician, hey zed chaps u just saw a pic, c. mulenga and mampi. they are not dating.
I think it is time Lusaka Times started censoring some of these comments. There is too much hate speech in some of the contributions. Abdulaziz has been careless with his contributions,he is not being considerate with his comments.He/she can easily cross the religious line and be blasephemous either to the christian faith or the islamic faith.
As much as we appreciate freedom of speech Abdulaaziz is going too far
Hey guys.So you don’t know that Clifford and Mampi are even planning to get married?Mampi even confirmed it in the press(Post Lifestyle).She is crazy about the guy.
# 32 and 30 are you guys for real? I hope you are women then maybe we can understand. if you are men then you must be Gay. How do men discuss gossip on a football forum? You need to go to the lifestyle section to do your gossip.We are talking about soccer and not who is marrying who. you need to be ashamed of yourselves. Mulechita ulwambo as men, shame on you
Teams Placing Ghana 2008
1. Egypt
2. Cameroon
3. Ghana
4. Côte d’Ivoire
5. Tunisia
6. Angola
7. Nigeria
8. Guinea
9. Zambia
10. Mali
11. Morocco
12. Senegal
13. South Africa
14. Namibia
15. Benin
16. Sudan
a close friend of mine slept with mampi recently [on the 24th of december 2007], while i was in zambia… i cant disclose my name, but this is the gospel truth.
Also in training today was Under-20 star striker Roger Kola from Edusport. I thought Kola had clinched a deal in Norway, soit was just cheap publicty or what
What is all this rubish about mampi and just who the hell is he/she/it or whatever
I wonder why someone got angry when I introduced this topic about Mampi.I got concerned because she is going out with one of Zambia’s most promising talents.It is these same dangerous girls who are finishing our football players.For example were you happy with Nketani’s performance at the recent Africa cup where he failed to perform and made our defence the weakest.These useless girls are finishing our players because they sleep with almost anyone with bucks.Mampi is such one.By exposing her body through those skimpy outfits during her public performances she seduces a lot of men.And it doesn’t end at that.They sleep with her.
Davey Chile, whatever issues you have with Mampi is none of our concern. This forum is about soccer.Nobody discusses who you sleep with and what effect they have on you. If you cant get Mampi but the other men are managing ,then tough luck you just have to move on.
Iwe chi Davy, leka ukulanda pafishikwete nchito. If you are so into Mampi go hook her. I figure shes an easy goer! We have no interest in her private life, period.