Zambia Under-17 Men’s National Team coach Ian Bakala says qualifying for the TotalEnergies U17 AFCON Algeria 2023 is non-negotiable and rallies his troops to qualify for the junior continental showpiece.
Bakala’s side begin their quest for qualification to Algeria at the COSAFA Qualifiers, the COSAFA U17 Championship with a Group B opener against Mozambique on Saturday set for Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe at 18h30.
“Tomorrow’s game (against Mozambique) is very important for us, the expectation is very high from the players and the country at large, the boys are prepared and they are ready for the Cup,” Bakala said.
“We have prepared the team very well. Since we entered camp, we had two friendlies in Lusaka and they did well. There is also a lot of improvement from the time we met and the way they are prepared and the morale shows that the boys are ready for the first game.”
Zambia, losing finalists in two consecutive championships at the expense of South Africa in 2020 and Angola in 2021, will be seeking to break the jinx but they must first be among the top two teams in Group B that comprises Mozambique, Seychelles and South Africa after three matches.
“South Africa is not our big business; we just have to beat the countries (in the Group). There will be no defending champions and we are here to challenge for the trophy and take it back to Zambia,” Bakala said.
COSAFA announced late on Thursday that there was a late change to the fixtures with Angola withdrawn after some of their players failed eligibility tests, meaning only three teams will compete in Group A.
(By FAZ Media)
