Saturday, June 14, 2025

Renard Drops Tana From Egypt Game

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Herve Renard has dropped defender Elijah Tana from Zambia’s away 2010 World/Africa Cup, Group C qualifier against Egypt in Cairo this Sunday.

No reason has been given for Tana’s dropping in a shock turn of events and the news come just hours following an announcement at Tuesdays  Faz briefing that the veteran defender was due to join Zambia at its Johannesburg training camp tonight.    

Tana who recently signed for promoted Angolan club CR Caala has reportedly  not received any invitation to join the team in South Africa where the team is camped ahead of Thursdays departure for Cairo.

The defender also sat out on his last outing with Zambia in their 2-1 victory over Senegal in a 3rd and 4th playoff match played on March 7 in Abidjan during the inaugural CHAN tournament.

Meanwhile, midfielder Rainford Kalaba of Gil Vincente in Portugal and striker Fwayo Tembo of Etoile de Sahel in Tunisia join the team today while Power Dynamos defender Francis Kasonde has been drafted into the Zambia team after Hichani Himoonde of Zesco United pulled out of the squad following a bout of Malaria.

Defender Emmanuel Mbola who recently joined Armenian club  Pyunik Yerevan is expected to complete the roll of call-ups this evening.

The team will be trimmed from 23 to 20 at the end of Wednesday’s afternoons training session ahead of the sides departure for Cairo on Thursday evening from Johannesburg.

35 COMMENTS

  1. He is a late comer. Why putting the coach in an awkward position by not communicating? Leave him out though he is a good defender. He is replaceable.

  2. Tana is tired, I mean age has caught up with him. Let him earn some bit of dollar power in his last days. I just hope he wont end up like Harison “Wawa” Chongo.

    • Ba Sparks Tana has invested His money well, He has bought 3 houses in town in Chingola and 4 trucks. So far all the trucks has been hired by one of the biggest company in Chingola. He is better off than other players we know. Tana should not be compared with Wawa Chongo

  3. Tana has just become something else, he went late for the chan games now even in south wen the game is on sunday. Zambians pleaded for this guy to be cod for the national team now this is wat we get in return. Good examples ar billy mwanza, collins mbesuma and tana. it has to take zambians to insult the coach for the them to play for zambia. wat does the coach receive later on, insults from zambians due to their poor perfomance. Lets just forget abt these chaps for Gods sake

  4. Uyu Munyamata alibe discipline. Akumwa moba monger nichakolwa chabe. You cannot even imagine that he is still playing. Let him not be recalled again. Nkhani yavbuta manje.

  5. Excellent decision coach. This chap Tana is still living in his hey days. This chap on most occassions has been exhibiting tuma tendancy of thinking he is indispensible and also testing soccer fans opinions on him. He has, with his forehead, become big headed. Every time the chap would be called for national duties, he would first start by scratching his the “same”, report at his own time , play at the expense of a hard working upstart and in the process negatively affect the overall team’s performance. Well done Renard – with your short also. EPASHILI PAKULEKA. No one is bigger than the team!!

  6. Good decision taken at a wrong time ,so many questions can now be asked. Is HR going to try untested partnership of Chintu and Kasonde in a high profile game agajnst Egypt. Tana may not be in top form but exposure and experience play an important role in crucial encounters were physical and mental strength will be need at maximum attainment. The defence is absolutely the weakest department in the team and trying a partnership may prove to be costly …Lets wait and see..

    • Care to locate him for HR then? Where is this Tana heroe of yours? Discipline is one of the qualities that is an essential ingredient in any sportsman. Is this heroe of yours disciplined?

    • Do you really understandthe whole thing ? You sound gross and mean , No one is supporting Tana but rather looking at the consequenses of taking such a correct decision on the team’s performance. You should note that HH is out of the team and the replacement is not a typical defender

    • Ba Fish, you like the word “mean” ayi? I agree with what Mbulawa is telling you. Tana is a no show man or is a late comer whenever called upon. Maybe “emo apandila” because it seems he can’t heed advise regarding this his conduct. Infact even his “dropping” by the coach appears to have tuma connection from his not showing up in time coz if you follow events the coach earlier mentioned Tana as being amongst those whose arrival he was awaiting. And which partnering are you talking about? Did we need Tana’s experience in the 3 nil bashing of Cote d’Ivoire? Or indeed our claiming third position against Senegal. Instead we lost to Congo DR with your chima Tana playing. What’s your…

  7. Let Tana sit out coz thats wat the coach wants. But wen we get a bashing, yo head is on the line. But who said new blood cant perform? They won 3 nil without him in Ivory Coast. And discipline is also good in a team. But again we do not know why he’s out. So we’ll just wait for a win, then Tana is gone for real. We lose, Renard’s bum is on hot coals!

  8. Dropping of Tana is ill timed .Egypt game requires a lot of experience espcially at the back.Egyptian team has been together for some time now and they are well blended and balanced.Their strikers are are intelligent,sharp,fast and deadly at the goal.I do not see Chintu and Kasonde as the right a partnership to contain them.To start with Kasonde and Chintu have never played together,they are not experineced and naturally kasonde is not a defender /fast.We are really in trouble.We need a leader in defence.We also need a very good defensive midfielder with good experince . A 4-4-2 formation would be better.This is not CHAN championship but real football at the highest level.

  9. Ba Tana ubufontini no bututu bwalichilamo. He should just retire from the national team. The guy is nearing 40 and yet he is lying that he is 33 yr old? Yashani iyi.

  10. Whether we win or lose, i wont blame coach over Tana, why does he wants to be late all the time, remember, Ghana, Chan and now. No late him go and enjoy his pension.

  11. It’s the team that wins or loses the game. The coach knows the strengths and weaknesses of each player. The Coach even bears the responsibility of the results. Let him do his job and we shall judge him based on the results. VIVA REN, VIVA ZAMBIA

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