Friday, March 29, 2024

Grandstand: Herve Faith

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After a nine month honeymoon, Herve Renard is finally feeling the pressure of marrying into Zambian football family where all matches are great and not small.

Renard, uncertain over his future as Zambia’s coach especially after local mining giant KCM who had sponsored his salary since May but backed-out in November after they began to feel the pinch of the global credit crunch, was on Friday asked a question he hoped would never hear…but not this soon anyway.

Asked by a Lusaka-based TV station if he would quit should public opinion swing against him following Zambia’s recent embarrassing group stage exit at the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup in Uganda, Renard buckled and said he would respected their wishes.

Nine months is a long time in football, in a span coaches destiny’s are easily made or broken by tournament qualification, promotion and relegation.

In nine months, Renard’s biggest claim to fame has been to guide Zambia to a very gusty final qualifying phase of the 2010 World/Africa Cup group stage qualifiers.

Otherwise there has been nothing much to show that Zambia is on the up before and after that with two regional tournament failures under his helm especially in the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup a tournament whose national teams rarely ever book air tickets to African Cup tournaments.

In August, he failed to guide Zambia to the finals of the renamed Cosafa Senior Challenge Cup after gaining easy passage, courtesy of their still highly respected regional stature, to the quarterfinals thanks to a preliminary round bye only to mint bronze.

Every tournament, friendly, big or small, is treated with respect and with much anticipation by Zambian fans and defeat is always an anathema.

It might be a little unfair to say Renard is unsettled for the time being but it is quickly going to become a topical issue and it is beginning to feel hotter than October on a rainy January day.

And Renard will not have to wait very long after the Cecafa Cup to find out for himself what the public really feels about him because on January 25, Zambia host DR Congo in a friendly international in the tight confines of Woodlands Stadium in Lusaka.

It will be Zambia’s first official home game this year and fans will be very curious to see for themselves what the future holds for Renard with the CHAN tournament looming over the horizon when they open their account at the inaugural event against hosts Cote d’Ivoire on February 22.

95 COMMENTS

  1. One thing I would like to know is……Is it up to coach for the team to win or its all up to how good the players are? :-??

  2. Malole member of parliament Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) Emmanuel Munaile has said the Teddy Mulonga-led executive has achieved nothing by qualifying the Chipolopolo Boys to two successive Africa Cup finals. Munaile said qualifying to the Africa Cup tournament was not an achievement by any FAZ executive because Zambia has been to the continental tournament on many occasions.

    “Qualifying to two Africa Cups is nothing and we have done that many times so it is not an achievement,” he said.

    Munaile said an executive could only be proud if the national team won the Africa Cup. Unless a team has gone all the way to winning the trophy that’s when one can say the executive has achieved

  3. #1, Girly,

    Its a complex combination of factors that results in a team winning
    1.Referees- they have been known to influence the outcome of matches
    2.The opponents’ preparedness
    3.The coach- some coaches are winners while others are losers, no doubt.
    4.The players themselves
    5.Finances
    6.Supporters/fans- stadium atmosphere
    7.And others- please add to the list.

  4. #3 He is right, but look at his executive. They have just taken us backward. Mulonga Executive won the Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup Tournament, won the Cosafa both junior and Senior cups.

    They can’t even get us into the semi final of any tournament. If they have any integrity, they ought to resign and apologise to the Zambian soccer fans for taking us for granted

    And this Chipolopolo name, maybe we just need to discard it. Too many bad memories with this name mwe. KK 11 should do after all he was the first president why not honor him.

  5. ba kateya ba mupila(not condom as umupila) please change ur ways otherwise some of us like Engine who’s now in church,NineChale untracable 2de,Mart chalo and etc will quit our profesions and come play soccer 4zed…do want to loose ur jobs?
    please guys remember the old good days and bring back the glory of mother zambia…GO chipolopolo..we love ya.

  6. Sports diversification is the way to go. Take chess for example. It has won more medals for Zambia than Chipolopolo but we keep on wasting millions on the losers. Lets fully support the so called minor sports, we will not be coming home from major tournaments like olympics medaless. Zambia we are stuck with Nshima, stuck with copper, stuck with chipolopolo, stuck with MMD, stuck with everything. Key word: DIVERSIFICATION.

  7. In Zambia we are too talkive, we should give chance the coach.We like changing coaches at club level and national level that why our football in Zambia will not develop.The coaches should also try Charles Musonda’s sons, to see in which junior teams they can fit.

  8. Girly

    How are you?

    That has been my question too.I will never blame any coach in any sports because as far as I know the coach’s job has to be 45% or less then the rest should be done by players.Take an example what happened at olympics,a certain boxer was given proper instructions by his coach when he went into the ring he started doing his own things,and he has dealt with.this is the same with soccer so lets not blame coaches.Those you who are in school you dont expect the lecturers to give you all the info,infact lecturers only offer 30%,70% is ours.same with soccer.

  9. From the look of things pa Zed,even the best coaches in the name of Rjikaard,Del bosque,Scholari name them will fail coz there is no grassroot talent identification. Ask south Africans,they will tell you that despite Albert Pereira being a successful coach in Brazil,he failed to resuscitate Bafana-Bafana. In them old days,players used to be identified in School football competition. I remember in Kabwe,players like the late Timothy Mwitwa,Samuel Chomba,Richard mwanza were identfied awy back in primary school.When these players passed to their respective sec. sch,after classes a vehicle will come and pick them for training.The same used to happen for Kalu in Mufulira.

  10. I met Renard when he came to Germany with the team last year. He is a very nice guy. I think he has done a very good job and I feel the boys simply need to do the rest.

  11. It is shocking that Zambia with 9 provinces can not produce 1 or 2 goal poachers

    PS: Just heard that it is now lusaka Dynamos who are going down
    THE drama that characterised the 2008 season continued yesterday when Lusaka Dynamos were demoted to Division One, swapping positions with Nchanga Rangers.But this time, it was not on the field of play; it was instead in the boardroom at the Football House.
    Both Dynamos and Nchanga had 35 points but the Queensmead ground outfit survived the chop because of having a better goal difference.

    Rangers appealed to the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) appeals committee over Chambishi’s use of two unregistered players, Gerald Bwalya and St

  12. Rangers appealed to the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) appeals committee over Chambishi’s use of two unregistered players, Gerald Bwalya and Stephen Sakala, during the week 16 league match at Nchanga Stadium.
    The two teams drew 1-1 but the committee headed by prominent lawyer Chifumu Banda yesterday overturned the result, giving Rangers two points which catapulted them to 37 points, two better than Lusaka Dynamos.

    Chambishi, who had finished the season with 37 points, lost a point to move to 36 but have still managed to beat relegation.

    So evenly poised were the teams that any slight change would shake up the table, and it did.

  13. Meanwhile the drama continues. “Dynamos have replaced Rangers who were demoted to the first division at the end of the 2008 season”. However. Adams Lusaka Dynamos CEO has threatened to dump the team. The FAZ appeals committee is killing the beautiful game in Zambia.

  14. Please Hanif,dump Lusaka Dynanmos so that Kalu can quickly admit failure and resign.Please do it hanif,i will be honoured.

  15. #19 I don’t which school Munaile went to but I know the chap from the early days in Kapiri Mposhi where we grew up. I was a grade 5 kid back then and he was a big guy playing for Tazara Rockets and a star in Kapiri Mposhi when we used to have great derby matches between Kapiri Glass(KGP) and Tazara Rockets. Everybody loved the dude in town and those from Kapiri remember him well and he was damn good at the time and that was back in the 80s. He must be a grade 7 if my memory serves me right. Most players those days never used to make it to sec sch.

  16. #24 Anonimashi, # 8’s English is right yoo! Whats wrong with it? If I asked you to translate in Bemba, you bet you be missing words like those Tonga boys playing our football.

  17. the guy is ok its just that most zambians think soccer is about a coach,how many are we going to change.its too much,the players must just get ready and do better in the matches to come,they have to work hard.am sure thats why he has even said he will respect the wishes of the people its coz he has put inhis level best.its just like at school can you keep blaming teachers or tutors for a child who keeps failing an exam no!

  18. I never seen a Zambian Football team with so many Tongas and people from Nyimba. Zambian Footballer is well played by people from Luapula province. Should we start counting??

  19. BA YAMA U R RIGHT TONGAS AND CHIPATA PIPO CANT PLAY SOCCER WE NEED BEMBAS SINCE THEY ARE CROOKS THEY PLAY WELL AND WE NEED KAONDES TAKE EXAMPLE OF DEBBY MANKINKA, GIBBY MBASELA, KILAMBE AND OTHER GENIOUS PLAYS ZAMBIA AWE THESE GUYS ARE REALLY DULL

  20. I HAVE FOUND A SOLUTION TO THE ZAMBIAN FOOTBALL. THIS TEAM SHULD BE BANNED AND LET FAZ PUT UP AN ADVERT FOR PLAYERS RECRUITMENT QUALIFICATIONS:
    1. ABOVE 18 YRS
    2. GOOD GRADE 12 RESULTS WITH A MERIT IN MATHS
    3. PLAYED IN A SCHOOL TEAM WHILE AT SCHOOL

    I CAN ASSURE YOU WE’LL MAKE A GOOD TEAM IN THE WORLD.

  21. Guys.

    Please stop teasing your friend,Dont forget that Icisungu is not our Languange.Come on dont make your friend uncomfortable to blog on this site.Iam sure it was just a slip of the brain Oh! sorry slip of the tougue oh1 sorry the slip of the fingers and keyboard.

  22. #40 I didn’t know Tongas can name a daughter “Mirriam”. Sure there are few names like Funny Hangunyu, he was a funny player. He used to run faster than the ball. Thats where the name came from…

  23. This coach should have first looked at what Zed has at grassroot level b4 taking up the job. If I were him, I would have refused like his friends did. How do you coach finished player? They have outlived their usefulness. The issue is not about the coach but the nursery. We are stuck with E. Tana, Mbesuma, Hikainde Hichani, Nketani etc

  24. # 28, the time you knew Munaile he had a grade 7 qualification, but that doen’t mean he is still a grade 7. Remember how you struggled to finish you grade 12 on correspondence my friend, even Zambian politicians (ministers) are busy studying online with UNISA, and I wonder why not at UNZA. Manuele Munaile looks educated and wise, much better than Mulongoti.

  25. #34(Ba Yama).Stop being tribalistic about football. Both Tongas and Easterners equally have a rich history in football. I dont have to mention successfull footballers from the East and if you are a keen follower of Zedian football,you are abreat with them.So Ba Yama,just contribute something meaning to the zambian football unlike those tribalist and divisive sentiments.

  26. YES SWEET MILLIAM I DIDNT KNOW THERE ARE TONGAS WHO SPEND TIME ON INTERNET ANYWAY THEY ARE MY TRIBE MATES BUT THE TRIBE DOESNT MATER WHAT MATTERS IS ABILITY OF PLAYER TO REASON THATS WHY HAVE BROT THE ISSUE OF EDUCATION. LOOK AT MBESUMA HE CAN PLAY BUT BECAUSE HE IS NOT EDUCATED HE FAILS TO MANAGE HIMSELF DISCIPLINE AND FINANCIALLY

  27. #48 I am not trabalist, and whats wrong with it if I was anyway? To say Bembas play better football than Tongas and Lozis inclusive, is same as saying BRAZIL play better football than INDIANS from Mumbai. So if AC Milan coach decide to take Indian players than Kaka, Ronadinho, Pato, etc whom can you blame?? COACH + Administration

  28. The coach will resign soon because we do not have players of Great Kalu’s calibre who would stir a team of raw materials into finished products like he did in 1993 after Gabon air disaster.In fact he has been wating for this moment so that he can sue FAZ and KCM for breach of contract because despite the current results he has not failed to deliver what he was employed for ,AFCON and WC QUALIFIERS.

  29. #54 boi..chachine this #8 came a few hours ago!!!!!!!
    i agree with u 200%
    but i still remind u Engine mwana..beer talk not about it if u want us to blog and not to bog…
    elo ninshi naiwe ula lasa..yashani boi??? :o:o:o

  30. A coach is very cadinal to any team. A coach can make or break a team. A good coach like a good teacher will stir the right spirit and atitude in the players. Look at great coaches like Harve’s compatriot Arsene W. the way he moulds the youngstars into a winning machine. sometimes it takes time. Lets give him more time to with the team. A great coach can bring out a killer instict in his charges when he knows them and how to motivate them.
    Give hm a little more time and a warning to deliver. In my opinion the phiri did better.

  31. The occupants at football house are responsible for our current setuation too. I miss the Mulonga leadership. Dispite the disrespect he endured from kalu, he steered the FAZ forward. Yet the man who wanted to get the credit given the reigns, sits idle and let others like munaile fan all sorts of things. No direction at faz. Kalu admin is not your niche. find something else to do. Live our beautiful game alone, your time is up you cant be everything

  32. The coach is ok. look at the players you have. I think they are dull players when you compare them to the previous players. We need players who are shape in brains. Bola is about outwitting yo friends. It involves solving equations the skill which your dull players dont have. We should not even talk about tribalism in bola, what we want is not balancing the national team on tribal lines but better players. Who ever plays well it be Tonga Bemba, lozi kaond etc let him get a place in the national Team.

    Hence it doesnt matter if the team is dominated by one tribe..thats fine since it would mean that tribe plays well.

    # SO LET US GET RID OF THIS DULL BUNCH OF THE CURRENT NATIONAL TEAM
    ~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(~X(

  33. this renard guy is a weak coach!strong coaches don’t “buckle”to the people’s wishes because they have a plan they firmly believe is right and will prove the people who are critisising them wrong!i’m in doubt wether or not the team is in stable hands. :-?:-?:-?

  34. # 51 Such thinking is dangerous as it is typically tribal and stereotyping. I believe every province has positively contributed to the development of football in Zambia. Take for instance names such as John Kalusa, Pele Kaimana, Obby Kapita, Milton Muke, Kajiya, Malitoli, Watiyakeni, etc. All these are Lunda names from Northwestern Province. Even Mbesuma, though he has a Bemba, is a son of Kajiya.

  35. Zambia’s football standards have fallen lamentably and not even a brilliant coach can have a quick fix for our struggling team. It’s not only the coach that matters but also the talent and attitude of the players. Remember the South Africans hired a brilliant coach from Brazil but that did not improve their football in any way. Give Renard a chance.

    Why can’t we invest in boxing?

  36. YABA DR.BILL chizungu cha kosa ati…WILL MAKE A GOOD TEAM IN THE WORLD its supposed to be WILL MAKE THE BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD! then…Impress ati IMPLESS =)) DR BILL IM A FUN!!

  37. If a team fails to win, the coach is to blame all the time. Players are there to be taught guided, motivated and inspired to play the way the coach wants. If they don’t perform, the coach has to find out why,. Its either they don’t understand the system or they don’t understand each other or they are not motivated enough for the task. That is what the coach is paid to do. If he fails to do these things, then he should be booted out of the job. I would like a situation where there is interfeence in how the coach works.

  38. It is a shame that we now lose from our fellow underdogs. We should not blame the fields because we play in the same fields at home.

  39. To have a good team you need to have: 1.Good plyers, 2.A good coach, 3. Good training facilities, 4.The money must there for motivation of the players, 5. Good administrators and good supporters.
    But i feel that we dont have good admistrators and Renard is not a good coach and believe me you we wont go anywhere with these guys-[the Kalusha Bwalya executive].

  40. #8 wailetelela. I guess next next time you will be extra careful before you post ur comments. Bane leave our bro or sis alone. Icisungu calikosa kulacitafye blog mu mother tongue.

  41. #62 Mwati uli Muntu iwe? What is DANGERIOUS?? Pointing out reality? Indians can’t play football, even if you give them PELE to coach then. You are just a typical Zambian, maybe a Southerner who even think RB is better than “dangerious” Sata. Let the Lozis and Tongas be police men and Guards. After all Lundas you mentions are part of the Bemba-Lunda-Luba people. When we say Bembas vs Tongas we mean cutting Zambia from the Zaniwone hill, after Independence stadium. I am sure you never went up there so you can’t see the difference from North and South.

  42. zambia has really become a let down.all we ever get from supporting them are extinguished hopes that’s why almost everyone nowadays is resorting to supporting big european clubs like man u,milan and so on. /:)/:)/:)

  43. Ba Yama, what a waste of space you are. You do have any substance to talk about other than contuing your tribal nonsense. If you think you are so superior why can’t you just break away on your own. By the way you cutting of boundary is wrong. Cut your province from way beyond Serenje. Shame on you.

  44. Jose Mourihno once said you only need two weeks as a coach to show your quality.Look at what he did FC Porto, Chelsea and Now at Inter Milan. He guided all teams to the top of their respective leagues. This Herve is destined for failure partly because he has poor players on one hand and then himself is not a natural team builder. he cannot harness nor transform any player into a prolific goal scorer.We need Steven Keshi to take over. period. Follwo my next mail as to why!!!!

  45. I’m a supporter for the poaching and appointment of Steven Keshi as new coach for Chipolopolo. The reasons are as follow:

    1- Keshi(an African) lead Togo to the 1st ever WorldCup appearance
    2- Keshi guided Togo with the demolishion of the chipolopolo 4 – 1
    in Lome,when he was Togo Coach, he knows our weaknesses so easy
    for him to seal them and polish up our blunt mis-firing strikers.
    3- Keshi knows what it takes to qualify to theWorldCup,
    organisation, financing, training etc this
    experience can be imparted in our lads as well as FAZ.
    4- Keshi is experienced enough about African Football.

    Knowing Kalu and his group this advise will be wasted. Any SECONDERS?

  46. HA HA HA I CAN COUNT ALL THE GOALS SCORED BY ZAMBIA USING MY FINGERS ON ONE HAND EVER SINCE THIS HERVE LANDED IN ZAMBIA NINE MONTHS AGO. FAILURE BY KCM TO PAY HIM HIS SALARY IS NOT AN EXCUSE, KCM DID NOT EMPLOY HIM!!! KALU TOO PRE-OCCUPIED WITH GETTIN A SEAT ON CAF. WHAT HAS HE DONE TO DESERVE IT? FAILED TO BREAK ANY ZEDDIAN INTO SERIOUS LEAGUES IN EUROPE. MULONGA WAS A GREAT MAN. FAZ DELIGATES MADE A BLUNDER OF ENTRUSTING USELESS KALUSHA AS FAZ CHIEF.TOO RAW, FULL OF SELF & MISPLACED PERSONAL AMBITIONS.

  47. I have kept quite for the past 30 yrs,Zambian football lacks management with business skills.Zambian stadiums are like a bad dream you wish you never dreamt.A high school stadium in rural America is well equipped than all the stadiums put together in Zed, There is no need for Zambians to continue depending on foreign coaches.Ladies and Gentlemen we can build better soccer programs and better stadiums because we have cement and steel in abundance in Zambia.Soccer has lacked leadership.

  48. # 79 . You are one of the many who still don’t get it. Building a state of the art stadium won’t improve our soccer. Look at SA. if stadiums made teams they would be world champions. Togo’s infrastructure is so dilapidated yet they still made the world cup.

    We need to work on our junior programs and not build a state of the art stadium for losers!!

  49. Zambia is a such a big country, Bloggers I asked humbly for any SECONDERS or now OPPOSERS to my mail #77?. lets make the debate lively.

    Our soccer has gone down the drain, we need to address this.Yes youth, school football andf academies needs to be revamped but that is long term, what of now cause WorldCup2010 is next year bane. what do we do in the interim, we have known about the WorldCup2010 more than 20 yrs ago & that in South Africa 3 yrs ago, so no excuses.

  50. Hey people…..football is NOT about having footballers in FAZ..its about having people with the heart and understanding OF what modern football is all about…firing the entire technical bench is not the solution,the questions are,do we have the right players,how is the local league,do people in FAZ know what they are doing etc…lets just forget about our team achieving anything at the moment!!!

  51. #8 Hahahahahahaha ala uli mwaume/mwanakashi wandepula imbafu kabili bikapo nakambi tuseke tuloumfwa bwino ngatuleseka life span alalundilako. Thanks alot and goodmorning to everybody **==

  52. #8 Munaile was at Mpika boys and played for TAZARA before wanderers picked him. He played with Kalulusha,Benjamin, Ashios, Lwandamina, Efford etc. But that does not make him a good adminstrator.

  53. The coach has qualified the team to Chan and second round of Afcon and world cup, please Zambia is just overrated. The Best times in southern Africa by record is Bafana Bafana and Angola, the have won the Africa Cup and been to the world cup.

  54. Tamukwete ifisuma mwe bantu. This man has just taken you to CHAN, and has taken you a step closer to 2010. Give him a chance. Your local soccer is in disarray, and you want to beat Sudan! Who told you Sudan were the Whipping boys of CECAFA?
    We reap what we sow. Chapwa. I have always advised Zambians to set their minds on “LOSE” mode when Zambia is playing. That way, when you lose, the effects are cushioned and such talk will be avoided.
    This Renard man has my support.

  55. Lusaka Dynamos demoted?
    THE drama that characterized the 2008 season continued yesterday when Lusaka Dynamos were demoted to Division One, swapping positions with Nchanga Rangers. But this time, it was not on the field of play; it was instead in the boardroom at the Football House.
    Both Dynamos and Nchanga had 35 points but the Queensmead ground outfit survived the chop because of having a better goal difference. Rangers appealed to the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) appeals committee over Chambishi’s use of two unregistered players, Gerald Bwalya and Stephen Sakala, during the week 16 league match at Nchanga Stadium. The two teams drew 1-1 but the committee headed by prominent lawye

  56. overturned the result, giving Rangers two points which catapulted them to 37 points, two better than Lusaka Dynamos. Chambishi, who had finished the season with 37 points, lost a point to move to 36 but have still managed to beat relegation. So evenly poised were the teams that any slight change would shake up the table, and it did. Nchanga Rangers vice-chairman Jim Chongo said he had not received any communication from FAZ and was still following up on the matter by press time. “I have just arrived at Football House and I don’t know the ruling yet just give me some time then we can talk,” Chongo said. But Lusaka Dynamos’ secretary Madalitso Kamanga (pictured above with a medal) expressed sh

  57. shock at the development and vowed to appeal against the ruling. “It’s unfortunate that things like this are happening, I think points should be gotten on the pitch and not in the boardroom. This only goes to show how disorganized we are in Zambian football,” Kamanga said. He said it was unfortunate that some people were trying to push some teams into the Super Division at the expense of the deserving sides. Efforts to get Banda proved futile.
    Rangers have been playing top flight football since the formation of the organised Zambian league in 1962.[zambianfootball.net]

  58. FAZ has to take both infrastructure development and youth development seriously. FAZ at the moment does not recorgnize soccer academies where 90% of the under 17 and 20 players come from.
    EduSport, Chiparamba and Lusaka Youth Soccer Academy have tried with limited resources to take talented players to Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy, South Africa and Denmark for competitions. FAZ’s response to their effort shows that they not at all partners. The so called “good players” such as Hijani Himoonde, Clifford Mulenga, Yorum Mwila, and Roger Kola are all from soccer academies. FAZ has no long term plans for Zambian football. They are just interested in making money.

  59. Olla!
    Please do not blame the Coach for National team failure.

    National team is like a Greek salad, if your vegies, cheese and dressing are wrong your salad will not be good either.

    The players have clubs where they play, it is at those clubs where they should be coached properly. Even more important its is at the youth clubs where the trouble is. Wrong techniques, wrong footballs, misdirection at an early age…. its endless.

    Lets invest in the under 12 leagues and clubs then the rest will follow

  60. FAZ are trying to save nchanga rangers from demotion just because
    KCM has been supporting the useless league.If the boardroom verdict
    fails,Kalu and his hopeless money mongers will increase the number of
    teams in the useless league.By the way kalu at one time was boasting
    about the FIFA rankings but where are we now? Shame shame shame

  61. Zambians dont cry for our poor perfomance in any spotrs displine in the country.The answer is simple; Most of our sports infrustructures in the country be it be in primary,secondaryschools,colleges and even UNZA are all run down.People who make it in whatever sport have to struggle.
    Football pitches are full of overgrown grass,swimming pools have got frogs and weeds in them,and the so called sportsmasters are all frustrated teachers.The FAZ executive dont even have a blue print document on how to revive the Zambia schools football tournaments.

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