Veteran defender Elijah Tana will for the successive time in 13 months be missing from a major continental tournament involving Zambia.
And Herve Renard’s 21-member Caf African National Championship (CHAN) team were by press time Friday afternoon expected to land in Abidjan ahead of Sundays opening Group A match against hosts Cote d’Ivoire.
Tana is now confirmed a no-show for the CHAN that kicks off in Cote d’Ivoire this Sunday after he failed to travel to Abidjan and opted instead to sign a deal with promoted Angolan club Clube Recreativo da Caála.
The call was surely an easy one than the aging defender would want to admit and who is in the twilight of his footballing career.
Tana’s decision is clearly based on economics reigning supreme over patriotism.
With Caala who are believed to have offered him a one year deal, Tana will have a salary waiting at the end of this month that makes more sense than the uncertain wait for a CHAN allowance from Faz.
With Tana ruled out and Hichani Himoonde also absent due to injury, it leaves Francis Kasonde of Power Dynamos and Zesco United Nyambe Mulenga as Renard’s most internationally experienced hands in defence at CHAN.
Meanwhile, this is the second time Tana’s loyalty to the cause has been questioned.
Early last year, a half-fit Tana missed action at the 2008 Africa cup of Nations in the midst of a national outcry for his inclusion in the final team in a must-he-mustn’t-he situation.
Ex-Zambia coach Patrick Phiri and former Faz president Teddy Mulonga were attacked for dropping a wobbling Tana and whose valuable experience by the duos critics was said to be necessary for Chipolopolo’s seemingly uncertain cause in Ghana.
Am sure Phiri and Mulonga should be feeling a little sense of vindication this time around.
Meanwhile, construction of the multi billion Kwacha 40,000 seater Ndola Stadium is expected to begin in 3 weeks and will take 26 months to complete.
The project will be handled by Anhui Foreign Economic Construction company of China at a cost of US$70 million.
That is too bad imwe:(
it is very bad
Tana lee tall lay !
HH is also a footballer?????
3. Ba Dr Maureen
mulishani lelo?
which language is that kabili? Bemglisch 😕
Nothing wrong I think. Patriotism has lost value a million ” fold”.
Tana has better things to do :-w
How can one person hold a country at ransom.why cant he just say what is in his mind,no one can force him if he doesnt want. **==**==**==**==**==**==**==**==**==**==**==[-x
Lwenu. Mukafwila patriotism. Ine naka blonde ku Iraq=))=))=))
Renard please napapata just recruit that Dog from Itezhi-tezhi district :d
Jam@co, mwasangwa ko lelo ka?
These illiterate footballers are a menace. They dont even win so why bother about some chamba-smoker called Tana ?!
11. Ba Dr Maureen
:d But this %%- seems to be coldhearted imwe…
anyways lets hope this time they can show us something different!!
Tana is ok family should come first than being patriotic and get a meagre allowance at the end when some incompetent politician is busy stealing big in the name of serving beloved zed.
Jam@co. Alikwisa umu guyz Ingombe Illede ( Maestro Nowadays )?
HH and his Dog from Itezhi-tezhi district :-??
Tana is the epitome of many of us in the diaspora…
Chase that paper trail dude and secure yourself.
14. Ba Dr Maureen
I just spotted him ku RB thread!! So as for me know :-$
So there will be a hole in the Zambian defence side, wider than the one in the ozone layer?
Oh no!!!:((
family comes first tana, good.
tana thats a good idea, family comes first,cos its better to have a salary than playing for zambia
Amano ubunono aba abantu :o:o:o:o
Tana reasoning is valid. He has a family to look after. Will Z take care for them on his behalf if they have failed to take care of the children of the Gabon crush. leave him alone. He is also giving chance to other players. :)>-:)>-:)>-:)>-
# 22 you are very right have you seen Elijah Litana of late? Alipwa he is surviving by the grace of grace
good move tana.i think u’ve done more thanenuf 4 zambia and should get to makin your bread now!
l-)l-)l-)
I really dont see what other help the govt should do about the Gabon family apart from giving the dear players a decent burial which they did. were they govt employees or were they under faz. lets not concentrate on the gabon heroes coz alot of people eg kawambwa school accident have not been paid also. the faz should learn a lesson and insure the teams against such. thats what insurance is there for afterall ! No hard feelings just an opinion guys
jam@co nikwisa chidibile ?
4GET him man zambia is team not a one man show…. ~X(
25. Ba Maureen
Awe lelo I think the RB thread is kicking!! I am just reading the comments. Otherwise ni |-)|-)
At least he knows which side his bread is buttered. Zambia has been a big animal farm for too long. Only when we consistently question our 4-legged animals & they are made to answer for their ill-deeds(just as silly ya), shall we turn our country round & each & all of us will feel proud & patriotic & feel really honoured to represent the Zambian people rather than the 4-legged animals that just consider us to be their mere serfs!!
#3 Ba Maureen, please Zambian women stop undressing men in public like this. How could you insult Tana as if mwalilala nankwe?
he can go .,… himself.
Good riddance. He has been on to many losing Zed National team sides. We need to try something new. If I had it my own way he sould be done.
Ba Zambia Makula Period !!!
tana, march end back oh :”>
Tana and Renard had an understanding that he, Tana, must secure his future first, but at the same time be committed to the national team cause. He has just signed for an Angolan side and not the team he was earlier linked to.The FAz will only issue an ITCC after the CHAN tournament. It takes time to negotiate for such deals, the coach goofed by giving him 2 days, where on earth? Tana and the young Mbola will join the team in Ivory Coast. So fans plaese let us take it easy on the player there had been some communication going on.
We have heard rumours that the stadium will be named before the late levi? No hard feelings, thats ok; I mean, he has been a Zimandola as well , so let it be.
Good stuff Tana. Why should you starve your family on account of patriotism when we have politicians who can hardly walk due to over weight – curteous of plundered national resources.
nshima vrs patriotism
Zambian footballers Isukulu tesana. Tana’s other problem is taking to the bottle
Tana LITAKO period. CHIPOLOPOLO boyz let’s enjoy our muppet. I can’t wait. I will be with you through out, but UKU SHOBEWA MWAPYA!!! :-w
Tana is history,period.
Just my name tells the story
Atase, Tana surely in his twi-light of his career, he is misbahaving. FAZ suspend this guy sot aht he feels the weight or rather ban him from future engangements with the national team. One day might be paid to conceed a goal by opponents. He is focusing on economics not patriotism. A tase, all the years he has played in Angola failed to invets in Chingola has a small house and was busy womanising. His end will be disastrous.
Zambia in Good spirits and team work beat Ivory Coast 3 – 0. So this Tana Must be histroy, I never gave chance to our team going by the way the preparations went. However, I commend the Lads for putting up such a show on Openning day and against the host. Well done.
Zambia should not be making a mistake of over-relying on single players like Tana who always hold the country to ransom. Look at Nchanga Rangers where he is coming from, demoted. Zed should make Tana Histroy. Period.
42 spot on. Job weldone chipolopolo. We are behind u all the way. Plz let us avoid insults
Good work chipolopolo. If u continue to play like that i can assure you i will not sell ZAMTEL and RP will be history like Tana
Iwe tana waya sana! please find a defender. what happens when tana dies, no zambia, is tana zambia. come on zambia
Tana is Ok, all of you will not help him when he ends his careeeeeeeeeer! Go to CB and see at what of our former stars are living on today. Who knows if those young players will be paid their monies in full. You only see these things at a distance. Be close to them you will be amazed.
Nayenda!
SZNQz0 comment6 ,
Great. Now i can say thank you!
Excellent site. It was pleasant to me.
If you have to do it, you might as well do it right.