Defender Tandi Mwape has boosted the Chipolopolo war chest following his arrival at the teams’ Ghana camp on Saturday.
The defender from DR Congo giants TP Mazembe brings to eight the number of foreign-based players in camp out of the 16 oversea call-ups summoned for the 2013 AFCON Group H qualifiers against Cote d’Ivoire and Comoros.
Tandi joins Fashion Sakala of Glasgow Rangers in Scotland,goalkeeper Toaster Nsabata and midfielder Roderick Kabwe both of SekhukhuneUnited in South Africa.
Also in camp are midfielder Lameck Banda of Israeli clubMaccabi Petah Tikva, goalkeeper Mwenya Chibwe who is currently clubless,defender Frankie Musonda of Raith Rovers in Scotland and Kings Kangwa of Arsenal Tula in Russia.
The seven were part of the sixteen players who arrived inAccra on Friday for the week-long camp there.
Zambia coach Aljosa Asanovic is now awaiting six more players whoinclude Patson Daka of Leicester City and Enock Mwepu of Brighton.
Gamphani Lungu of SuperSport United in South Africa and Simba midfielder Rally Bwalya plus the Danish based midfield duo of EdwardChilufya of Midtjylland and Lubambo Musonda of Horsens are due to arrive in Accra over the coming days.
Chipolopolo are camped in Accra ahead of their Group H openeragainst Cote d’Ivoire on June 3 in Yamoussoukro.Zambia host Comoros on match-day-two on June 7 in Lusaka.
Meanwhile, Russian-based striker Evans Kangwa of Arsenal Tulahas been ruled out due to injury.
Kangwa joins Clatous Chama of Simba SC in Tanzania andAmazulu midfielder Augustine Mulenga who have also been sidelined due to injury.
I watched Tandi Mwape getting sent off during TP Mazembe’s Confederation Cup semifinal against the Moroccan club Berkane. From what I saw, Mwape has a bad temper. He was shown the second yellow card for mouthing at the Senegalese referee. When sent off, he then took off his shirt and left it on the pitch, walked to the dressing room shirt-less. I fear he can cause us to be one man down at crucial times during the AFCON games.