New Highlands Park coach came desperately close to becoming the Zambia national team coach but eventually lost out on the job when Zambia president Edgar Lungu opposed his appointment.
Igesund had been one of three applicants competing for the job and was believed to be a strong favourite to get it.
“I went for an interview and they [the Football Association of Zambian] contacted me and told me I was going to be their coach‚” Igesund said.
“They asked me to take myself out of the market.”
But the problem was the Zambian government had to approve Igesund’s salary‚ which they pay.
This process was delayed by presidential elections in the country.
Igesund said eventually Lungu‚ re-elected as Zambia president in September‚ decided not to sign the contract because “he wanted a local coach”
Igesund – Bafana coach from July 2012 until June 2014 – has been appointed on a one-year contract at Highlands‚ with options going forward.
Lungu the dictator. Next he will tell you Zambians when you can sleep with your wives and when to use toilet.
This sounds like xenophobia to me! What if mbesuma and mweene are sent back to zambia so that they employ local stars
Edgar said he doesn’t tell anyone who to arrest or hire as coach. Who leaked the state House decision anyway? This Kamanga administration…
Why have someone travel half the globe when in fact it’s local coach being sought? Won’t be surprised if a foreigner sues FAZ or whoever else for a remedy in travel expenses and all. For goodness sake, the next time FAZ and govt seek a local coach, let them not advertise globally and spare busy people their time and energy!
Igesund is not better than our local coaches. You pay for quality but because of the nchekelako syndrome, we will go even for trash. The Simaata led FAZ cost us the 1994 CAF by replacing Paulsen with Porterfield after receiving bribery from John Fashanu. Let them challenge this.
Comment:We have local coaches who knows our type/usual of football and can fly our Zambian flag high. Here is a proposed Technicle bench:Technical Advisor Wedson Nyirenda,Head coach Goerge Lwandamina (very experienced by looking at his track record),1st Asistant coach Danny Kabwe,2nd Asistant coach Manfred Chabinga,3rd Asistant coach Elija Chikwanda and for Goalkeepers Fredrick Kashimoto senior if using this set Zambian flag wil fly high.
Useless he is even whose than some of our local coaches can he beat George Chicken Lwandamina’s CV tell us, the president did well is he opposed the rubbish Ponga & Crew wanted to bring.
But why didn’t he make it clear to FAZ not to go ahead with the interviews? After people have spent their time and money making arrangements for interviews! For FAZ to have gone ahead with the interviews simply means there was a go ahead from the paymasters
It ok not appoint Gordon but we need a coach yesterday period
Basically it’s not the coach issue, but poor calibre of players that’s costing us games. At one time Nigeria withdrew from international soccer due to poor performance. They reorganized their structures before they resumed. What we’re doing in Zambia is like treating the symptoms without eradicating the cause. Let’s just suspend international soccer and reorganize ourselves.
No. 8 @ndaje the problem is coach a local and black coach whether in the name of didia drober is no better than a wise muzungu. A black man has an inferiority complex over a a white man so the likes of mbesumas would play their lungs out just for a muzungu anikonde but not to a blackman coach. History has it that blacks a dull and they dont see beyond their nose, if Chicken scores he stops coaching but watching the game but a muzungu will coach for the whole 90minutyes despite the result win or loose.
The problem here is the president getting involved in the selection process. Is it his job to recruit a coach? Law enforcement won’t carry out their duties arresting criminals until the president says so. We have been through this dictatorship before when KK handled everything himself. Now it’s shaping up very fast and before you know it will a full blown one man show govt all over again. Watch out and wake up!!
the president is ok,y hiring a foreigner and not a local coach
imwe,which local coach has delivered for zambia even if you follow the history of the national team,they are all average coaches
History? Brighton Banda and Samuel “Zoom ” Ndhlovu each won the East and Central Africa Challenge Cup when this competition was as tough as today’s CAF
Iwe! East and Central fimofimo? What cup is that? Who recognises those kinds of competitions? Not even FIFA Bola ni AFCON Bola ni World Cup.
@Sangwapo The same Ndhlovu took Zambia to the Olympics where we reached the 2nd round by beating such teams as Italy. A white coach is just psychological. Look at Harvey Reiner he can’t even a division 2 club in France but here you regard him as a god.
Ndanje You want to see what you want to see. You blind your self to the fact that you couldnt win afcon with local coaches. Renard won you a long awaited afcon and then he did it again with ivory coast and you want to dismiss him? How many coaches have won two afcons? I have no quarrel with Zoom ndlovu whose Olympics achievement we have failed to repeat precisely because local coaches can’t compete.
If Lungu did that ? then he is patriotic. We do not need those who have failed to come and take up Zambia’s team. if South Africa is not thinking bout him , why us?
The President has no business interfering in FAZ affairs. He has the Minister of Sports and the Minister of Home Affairs who FAZ should have consulted or even be part of the Interview Panel. He is setting a bad precedent no matter how “good” the decision.
Now what next? Wedson Nyirenda – someone help me with his pedigree? what has he achieved as a coach? George Lwandamina is a non starter – he does not inspire confidence seated for 90 minutes on the bench when his troops are clueless on the field.
Lungu, the man responsible for Zambians’ sadness the next five years. He denies us the soccer pleasure of qualifying for any tournament in his five year term. Goes on to deny us the pleasure of mobility by increasing fuel prices. Then denies us the pleasure of eating nshima by closing down FRA. What a pathetic fence sitter for President.
Local coaches are dull, the players are primitive
You are so right!!
He who pays the piper calls the tune! until FAZ can pay its coaches GRZ will one day appoint a coach from PF! I guess Kambwili can win us a few games!!
I ve never seen a coach as fat as Kambwili. We will lose all our games. Anyway we ve lost all our games
This country has just gone to the dogs pa last. We never had this kind of confusion when great Kalu was FAZ president. This Kamanga chap is just a waste of time and resources
This president is the president from hell, he has more work to be done than involving himself with the football politics. Faz need to fire it’s president and have his excellence almighty jack of all disaster to run the organization. Zambia need to wake up in the next years of this *****. PF is run by thugs and mafia so