Patson Daka and Enock Mwepu’s just-ended winter break camp in Qatar with Austrian champions RB Salzburg has inspired them to return there with Chipolopolo for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Chipolopolo will kick off their 2022 Qatar qualifiers this October in Group B where they have been drawn against Tunisia, Mauritania and Equatorial Guinea.
Patson and Mwepu were in the 2022 World Cup hosts for a nine-day training camp at the World famous Aspire Academy in Doha.
“I had not been to Qatar before, although l was aware of the country and how the 2022 FIFA World Cup would be held here, l has been pleasantly shocked by what l has seen here. This has been one of the best training camps l have had and to have all that a football player needs at his disposal right before you, is fantastic,” Patson told Aspire Academy media relations senior specialist Kennedy Makambira.
“The training pitches are walking distance from the hotel and there is a state-of-the-art gym by the pitch side, it is simply a player’s dream the facilities they have at Aspire. I honestly knew very little about Aspire Academy and having been here, l am well motivated and dead keen to come back with Chipolopolo.”
Mwepu too said he was looking forward to working hard in the Group B qualifiers to re-live the Qatar experience.
“There are some fellow African national teams, like Cameroon, Algeria and Mali who l know held training camp here at Aspire Academy prior to 2019 Africa Cup of Nations final and commendable and the kind of professional preparation more national teams should be aiming for, ” Mwepu said.
“You can tell that this place Aspire is on another level- higher level in terms of training and preparation. During this camp we had opportunity to see one of the 2022 World Cup venues, Khalifa Stadium which just next to where we are staying- Torch Hotel.
“ It is finished, it is a wonderfully build stadium and which footballer in the world would not want to play in the world cup in a beautiful place like Qatar.
“The draw for 2022 qualifiers done a few days ago, put us in with Tunisia, Mauritania and Equatorial Guinea and it will be tough but for sure like Patson, my experience on this training camp has encouraged me and l want to play here with Zambia in 2022.”
Chipolopolo will be taking their fourteenth shot at qualifying for the FIFA World Cup for the first time.
But first they must win their group to advance to the final two-legged knockout round where the ten group winners will be paired to vie for Africa’s five FIFA World Cup tickets.
