Chipolopolo coach Avram Grant says Zambia should be reasonable with expectations ahead of month’s Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Zambia kicked off preliminary preparations for the AFCON in Lusaka on Thursday.
Grant said Zambia is currently ranked third best in Group F of the Africa Cup which has Morocco, Dr Congo and Tanzania.
“You know I don’t like to set targets because you know we need to be reasonable. We were in pot three during the Africa Cup draws so it means there are two teams better than us on paper. But Ivory Coast was better than us (but we beat them). We need to be very realistic, look at the team we have and take the best from the team,” Grant told reporters.
The Israeli coach, however, highlighted that Zambia has the potential to be at the top.
“We are not in the top at the moment but it is our target to be among the top. There are issues we need to sort out on and off the pitch in order to be better. We progressed a lot in the last year but I think we can progress more as individuals and as a team,” Grant said.
The Africa Cup will be staged from January 13 to February 11 in West Africa.
This will be Chipolopolo’s first AFCON outing since 2015.
Chickening out. B4 we come with our axes
Mabika is not a good player, but he should have been smarter just to show up for Zambia and make some headlines, it’s good for his parents honors.
Reality. The quality of Zambian football has plummeted since the mines stopped paying for the development of football players on the Copperbelt. There is also the fact that West and North Africa have distorted the landscape of African football. The people who braved the Sahara to reach the Mediterranean, and the Mediterranean to reach the shores of Europe, have had offspring in those countries. These children have, pursuing careers in football, been trained in European academies, and professional teams, to levels that far exceed the ones obtaining in the impoverished countries of their fathers, and even in those of relatively better off countries, such as South Africa. This is why West Africa will dominate, as these offspring represent those countries
And tell that Grant to be respectful to fans.
The team captain is Stophilla Nsunzu, and not Lubambo.
Lubambo and Rodrick can remain team spokesperson because they look good on camera.
Kikikikikikiki! I half-agree but I’ve watched them in training and Stoppilah is very respected by his mates