Dario Bonetti’s first match at the helm as Zambia coach begins a day short of the first anniversary of the London fiasco against Ghana.
Almost a year to the day on Wednesday, a makeshift Zambia with two England-based Sunday league players lost 4-1 to Ghana at Brisbane road on August 12 in the London east end after failing to constitute a full team due to Visa problems.
On August 11, Zambia face Uganda in a friendly match in Kampala in a match Dario will be hoping to be a hero rather than a zero on his first day in an African football classroom.
Will Dario learn anything new on his first day?
For one, he has already learnt that he will not be seeing much of his European-based players for any future friendly matches especially if they will be played a long way off here in Africa or the football gods forbid…. in London.
Furthermore, he will be fielding a team comprising of two-third of players who will not be making his final 18 for most of Zambia’s Group C qualifying campaign.
Kennedy Mweene, Kalilio Kakonje and Noah Chivuta all from South Africa including the club-less Rainford Kalaba are about the only high profile players in the travelling party after four of European-based call-ups pulled out of the friendly due to club commitments.
The quartet was part of a 15-member team that left Lusaka on Monday that will be hopefully be joined by two Israeli based players Roger Kola and William Njobvu in Kampala.
Also missing the Uganda outing will be the TP Mazembe trio of Hichani Himoonde and Stopilla Sunzu who have injuries while Emmanuel Mbola has some administrative issues to sort out with his agents over his controversial transfer from Armenian club Pyunik Yerevan to the DR Congo club.
Meanwhile, Zesco United Defenders Billy Mwanza and Nyambe Mulenga who have be snubbed and on long injury layoffs respectively will be handed a chance win Dario’s heart to hopefully get another chance when Zambia kickoff their Group C campaign against Comoros at home on September 4.
Overall, a win will out some much needed sunshine and make good reading on the back pages and nothing more on the eve of a dark day a lot of people at Football House want to forget quickly.
As for Dario, a win will be a good addition to his CV under Zambia.
Goalkeepers: Mike Poto (Green Buffaloes), Kalililo Kakonje (Amazulu,South Africa), Kennedy Mweene (Free State Stars, South Africa)
Defenders: Billy Mwanza, Nyambe Mulenga (Zesco United), Jimmy Chisenga (Red Arrows), Noah Chivuta (Maritzburg United, South Africa)
Midfielders: Luka Lungu, Kennedy Mudenda (Both Power Dynamos), Kennedy Chola (Green Buffaloes), Rainford Kalaba (Clubless), Norman Munthali (Konkola Blades), william Njobvu (Hapoel Kiryat Shmone, Israel)
Strikers: Enock Sakala (Zesco United), Roger Kola (MS Ashdod, Israel)
More money to be spent on a sport that is riddled with administrative problems. I still cant understand why we cant engage our own local coaches.
# 1.Jeff, the reason we don’t engage our own local coaches is very simple we Zambian just talk a lot and are very impatient, look at what happened to Kalusha when he was incharge we expected him to lift the AFCON in Egypt but what we should not forget now is that most of these players that are still in the National team today were Kalu’s product, for spain to win the Wolrd Cup they had to had a team that had been together for the last 4years or so meanwhile all we want here are Results in the shortest possible time, too Bad the Under20 wont be at the youth Championships thats were it all starts from lets keep thoz boyz together for 2014.
He will learn that Zambian football administration is in a mess and that is reflected in our selection of coach
#1 the reazon why we cant employ our local coaches is simple, look at our developmental sides (under 17, 20 and 23), the are all coached by local coaches and lose to teams like mauritius and malawi. can u take the same coaches to coach the national team?
I agree with daccah about our local coaches but the foreign coaches must be of a higher calibre than locals. Bonnetti will also learn that if he loses he will be fired quickly just like in his previous job where he lasted three months. He actually has a penchance for being fired
#1, a main reason id football is global. so you aim you go shopping for a good coach, as the saying goes the best money can buy.
Now coaches are judged by their achievement, exposure, experience etc. Unfotunately there are very few coaches in Zambia thathave greal achievements, exposure or experience