MINISTER of Youth and Sport Chishimba Kambwili says Zambia will consider bidding for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations after the country’s failure to secure the 2019 edition.
And acting President Edgar Lungu said the country will follow the Confederation of African Football (CAF)’s decision to award Cameroon the right to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
“We just have to live and let live,” said Lungu in an interview in Lusaka yesterday.
Kambwili said in an interview on Saturday that Zambia will give it a try for the 2017 edition.
Asked if Government will consider a joint bid with Zimbabwe for the 2017 edition, Kambwili said Zambia will go it alone.
“We have the infrastructure and everything. There is no reason we should go into a joint bid with Zimbabwe,” he said.
Kambwili said Government has embarked on vigorous construction of sports facilities and the country can manage to stage the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.
The minister was disappointed that CAF opted to give the 2019 edition to Cameroon instead of Zambia which he claimed had better facilities than the West African country.
“Our bid was one of the best. I can’t understand why we lost. They need to be fair when making these decisions,” he said.
He is however hopeful that Zambia will be given the rights to host the 2017 edition.
Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, among others, are targeting to host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations after Libya withdrew due to turmoil in the North African country.
CAF has set September 30 as the deadline for receiving nomination for the 2017 edition.
And Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Kalusha Bwalya says the country’s football development will not be deterred despite losing the bid to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Kalusha described the loss as disappointing but that Zambia has picked lessons from the loss.
“We lost the bid but that won’t deter us from other things we are doing. It is disappointing but there are lessons learnt from this whole process. We had the intention of getting 2019 but it was awarded to Cameroon. As Zambia we were up against the big boys and the results are now seen that having hosted an AfCON before always plays a major role,” he said.
He said Zambia will be back as major contenders the next time the country bids to host the competition.
On the 2017 edition whose bids have been opened following the withdrawal of initial hosts Libya, Kalusha said time is against Zambia.
“To be honest we are time-barred and that is something we cannot do. Only countries that have ever hosted an AfCON before are the ones asked to do it,” he said.
And Zambia Sports Fans Association patron Peter Makembo has challenged CAF to inform Zambia where the country went wrong in its bidding.
Kambwili, stop it before you hear my wrath!
The AFCON Tournament constitutes 16 teams, each with a contingent of al least 80 people – players, officials & media EXCLUDING fans. The numbers grows to 130 pay team if you assume ONLY 50 supporters per team. That means a minimum of 2080 hotel beds, which means 520 decent hotel beds per host city, and 4 match and practice stadia for the 4 groups of the tournament. Now, apart from Lusaka and Livingstone, where else can you find 520 decent hotel rooms in Zambia? Note also that Livingstone has no stadium! Of the 2 cities with match venues only Lusaka has adequate bed capacity, so why are we crying? Competitions such as CAF also have minimum requirements for medical facilities and public transport systems, so let’s work to improve/ upgrade these facilities DONT JUST BE CRY BABIES!!!!
Co-hosting with Zimbabwe will be the only option here. We can’t go it alone. I dont know what Kambwili is talking about. This man is just too full of himself.
Your analysis is useless and not African.
1.Chipolopolo were located to a lodge that has perpetual load shedding in Ghana.
2. In Angola most teams were located in substandard inns better than Mika.
3. In Congo B, floods were reported were Côte d’Ivoire camped.
4.in South Africa, Chipolopolo were playing in a semi-desert pitch
We are Africans and we know how to adjust and adapt to any given environment.
BA JOSE sure, why are you justifying mediocrity? If what’s on paper has not been met by previous hosts, it does’nt change the rules. And by the way, is the aim of hosting such a tournament not to earn your country the respect of other nations and thereby market yourself? We should’nt just host to emabarass ourselves. Ok, naya back to work. Am going to work and do my bit to improve our situation, thanks.
CAF has never been fair towards Zambia. Selection of the African player of the year in 2012 and the failure to allow Zambia to represent Africa at the Confederation Cup in Brazil in 2013 come to mind very quickly.
@Monk…
….no my brother, its us who have not been fair to ourselves….We have the full scope and terms of reference on what CAF/FIFA expect from the hosting country at a given time….did we meet those expectations…??…you cannot say CAF has NEVER been fair to us….did you know that Zambia won the bid to host 1988 AFCON but we withdrew….?? …may be you were too young then to remember…… The standards then were not as high as they are today….
Issa Hayatou CAF President is from west africa (Cameroun if i am not mistaken). is this not the person who put Song on the African player of the year in 2012 when Cameroun didnt participate and was rotting on a bench somewhere. at least Chris Katongo was supposed to be on that list for guiding Zambia to their maiden Africa Cup with their heroics of eliminating the big boys along the way (Senegal, Ghana and Cote de Voire). DO YOU EXPECT HIM TO CHOOSE ZAMBIA OVER HIS HOME COUNTRY?
Imwe 2017 is around the corner. We only have two stadiums. Unless Zambia is planning on putting in a bid to cohost with a neighbouring country I don’t see us being ready in time.
This is a public relations crisis. The continent is still living the legacy of the divide between English speaking and French speaking nations. The three winners, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea are French speaking. So is Issa. It is advisable when dealing in continental affairs to be sensitive to expectations of different communities. For instance, the Englishman will finish the meal as quickly as possible, whereas the Frenchman will take as long as possible.
ISSA AYATU ICHATUMPA
We just failed to make the mark period!
What withdraw?
How much of your personal money did you chimbwili bribe those officials ?
Are you bitter someone out bribed you?
How do you award the hosting of AFCON to three African Countries in a role. Clearly you can see that the criteria is not the available infrastructure. The FAZ president is right, lets put the issue behind and continue developing our football. The government on the other hand should continue with plans to build additional infrastructure.
My appeal is to the minister of sports Mr. Chishimba Kambwili. The playing surface at Levy Mwanawasa is deplorable, poorly maintained as if we are in the desert. Yet that pitch has sprinklers right on the ground and we are failing to make it green. Very soon we shall be hosting big games there but we fail to water the pitch. Some body must be fired. Surely is switching on a tap difficult requiring foreign exchange. We should serious as Zambians.
I meant awarding three west african Countries in a role. But still attention should be given to the playing surface at Levy. It is very embarassing considering very soon we shall be hosting AFCON qualifiers there.
If ZESCO United use it as their home ground then let them take the responsibility of maitaining the pitch. We should appreaciate qality and good standards.
Just close it for now, water and feed it until the qualifiers begin. 3 weeks is enough to get the pitch to better condition. You expect to win afcon bids while displaying your inadequacy in pitch maintenance? What wrong with us, as soon as china man left, deterioration set it immediately.
The problem with Kambwili is that he is a knee jerk kind of politician who just acts on impulse, that’s why he has been the most shuffled minister. What is required for this country is to have a strategic plan for the development of sports in this country and get rid of characters like Kalusha Bwalya who have no clue about how to develop the soccer potential as seen by his lack of investment in training academies in the rural parts of the country.
Really laughable this BUFFOON should stop this silliness they can’t charter a plane to fly to Cape Verde and they think the can host AFCON. ..save taxpayer’s funds and improve hospitals instead of visiting patients in RSA.
Minister Kambwili the best option here is to co-host with Zim considering the fact that 2017 is nigh and we’re still wanting on construction of 2 other stadiums.If we do then we just have to consider other things like hotels as we have already got 2 stadiums in place.So pliz humble yourself and let’s co-host.
Zambia has to wake up from sleep. The country has a chance if it co host with Zimbabwe . But when people like Kambwili think he can go alone , I differ with him and surely it bid will be a weast of money and time. Why can’t we be honest to our selves and take a dress of humility. We always think we are the best. We are not and that’s the truth . I do not know what kind of person is this Kambwili. Who does he think he is in Africa.
Someone please enlighten me,who is the fella in the middle who looks like Nervous Mumba in the pic?? ….or it’s one of the CAF inspectors!
Minister Kambwili I urge you to pick up the phone and talk to ZIFA that we’re in with Zim and see how far we go. Nigeria n Ghana co-hosted in 2008 yet the’re 2 countries between them on the other hand Zambia n Zimbabwe are only divided by the Great Zambezi river and as part of the 2017 logo we can use the Victoria falls as a catcher. The right time will come to go it alone in future .One thing though, try your level best to have the Final in staged inZambia.
kalu is right let us not lose focus. mind you there is still Ebola in west Africa they might just revert to us to host 2019
….was it just the usual misprint from LT..??..CK could have meant 2025…
…a glance at the picture, the guy in middle looked like Nevers raising PF symbol and CK raising UPND symbol….???
Kambwili, don’t be arrogant otherwise I will ask S.Africa to enter the race for hosting the 2017 AFCON edition.
Is Kambwili part of the CAF and what position does he hold either in the CAF or FIFA? Not even in the COSAFA or ZAA. He is just a political minister of Sports in Zambia. No one will listen to him. Kambwili stop it and let people who are in forefront speak for Zambia. Even if you open your big mouth, no one will listen to you and mind you, you are just provoking the situation even when the CAF was to offer Zambia, because of you careless big mouth will make them cut off Zambia.
The other issue is on accomodation in Zambia we can not compare ours with Zimbabwe. Our friends have got good facilities than us Zambia. The Have Monomatapa Hotel, Previously Sheraton Hotel and many big loges than that of Zambia so they stand a chance of beating us, Tanzania too has good accomodation and cheap.