The 39-year-old Belgian arrived in Lusaka on July 6 after agreeing a short-term deal with the mandate to steer Chipolopolo to the 2019 AFCON in Cameroon.
Vandenbroek has five games between September, 2018 and March 2019 to successfully negotiate Zambia’s passage through the 2019 AFCON Group K qualifiers.
Chipolopolo are slumped last in Group K on zero points after losing 1-0 at home to Mozambique on June 10, 2017.
“It has been a long trip here but a nice trip because one is coming to something positive,” Vandenbroek said upon arrival in Lusaka.
“I am looking forward to the challenge for next couple of month’s altogether.
“So I am looking forward to the five-game programme ahead of us.
“It will be tough but I think we can make it, we have to make it.
“I think will be a lovely journey and I think we are going to make the best of it.”
This will be Vandenbroek’s debut as a national team coach.
Vandenbroek won the2017 AFCON with Cameroon as Hugo Broos’ assistant.
And FAZ president Andrew Kamanga said that Vandenbroek heads straight to work and will hold his first Chipolopolo camp on July 15 with the home-based players.
“On behalf of The Football Association of Zambia, we are happy we have finally gotten the coach here, it has taken a bit of time but we should be able to get working almost immediately we have a very tight first one-week programme,” Kamanga said.
Another one comes to build his CV like the PE Teacher Renard and you wonder why our coaches never learn anything if the teacher is also learning!!
Renard’s won AFCON 3 times and taken an African nation to the World Cup. Stop embarrassing yourself.
I wanted to comment saying Dept of HaNegatives will soon be here! I didn’t know it is already here! It is like a curse and it is in the blood.
@Sharon naiwe grow up, why call @Jay Jay like that.
He is less qualified than most local coaches so they have nothing to learn from him. There is need to hire a Coach who can impart skills to the locals. He has just brought Ubusungu pa Zambian bench. The best of the available Coaches was the one who mentored Cape Verde but we know this one is cheaper -fiscal policy. All the best to him
A coach for nine months only?? Strange arrangement! Can some explain why this short engagement?
@2.1, He is the one who spearheaded a campaign to chase Ranard from Zambia because Renard was employed by a “Thief!” Now he is here to represent Hatribes Utd trying to destroy Zambia! You get it? I thought you should be telling him and yourself to grow up! You never see immaturity in yourselves, boys?
We don’t need an expatriate coach, we have competent local coaches. What we need is to stamp out corruption in the selection of players to various national teams. Our local coaches can easily qualify the team to the AFCON, so that isn’t an ambitious benchmark. If this guy wants to make it he should watch the local league and select players on merit, otherwise it’s an embarrassment to continue importing coaches
Indeed, its an embarrassment to hire coaches. HH also cried to Trump to come and aid in the way things were going on in Sambia not Zambia. Look, expatriate coaches are like any other professionals. They can work anywhere provided their skills are needed. Sometimes you ought to listen to yourselves. Your Zambian coaches are busy coaching in other countries you do not complain. Let him do his job because you have failed. period. Its business. Wada failed us full stop.
He is a UEFA Pro licence holder and experience working with elite African footballers in the Cameroon national team..Hope he is able to emulate Renards achievements and help guide the nation to success.