The Zambia National team have One foot in the Cameroon 2020 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament after a 1-0 away win against eSwatini.
Eswatini head coach Kosta Papic was left fuming after local journalists suggested a player he did not call for national duty. The Tshilangu boss did not approve of the journalists asking only about one player when Eswatini had a league of 14 teams.
Papic believes Eswatini needs to first work on making their league professional before demanding for results. He revealed that most football players in Eswatini played the sport part-time and were employed elsewhere.
“Supporters are talking about him and you only asking about him? You have a league of 14 teams. I know you here to ask and criticize. That’s your opinion I don’t have a problem but am sorry I don’t see that,” he said.
“Guys you behaving as if you are in Brazil or Argentina but these players are employed and this is not a job for them and we competing with teams like Zambia whose players are professional. Cooldown a bit and let’s work hard as we can to bring them to a professional level.”
“If we succeed on that who will benefit? Me or you? Of course, the country so cools down and let me do my job and why are asking me about a player who does not show up for training when called. Can you understand the job? Cooldown a bit and let’s work together and make them professional and then you can ask for a result,” he added.
Papic went on to heap praise on the Copper Bullets who he said were a very good opponent. Despite the first leg loss, Papic is however optimistic about the return leg which will take place in Ndola.
“The result is not good we did our job very well in the first half, we faced a very strong opponent it is going to be very difficult in Zambia but it is going to be another 90 Minutes but overall performance of the players and the way that we played in the first half was far much better,” he said.
” I don’t see any kind of problem to go there and win the match we expect Zambia to play a different kind of football by being more Aggressive will try our best to score one or two goals, we lost yes but its another 90 minutes in Zambia,” he added.
Amity Shamende scored a second-half strike to hand Zambia a first leg one-nil win. Levy Mwanawasa Stadium will host the final and return Leg in this final round of the qualifiers on the 19th of October, 2019.
I AM STILL URGING COACH AGGREY TO INCREASE HIS SCORING. THE ONE GOAL AND SOMETIMES FAILURE TO SCORE FOR THE CHIPOLOPOLO SENIOR TEAM IS NOT GOOD ALL. YOU ARE GOING FOR CHAN IN CAMEROON AND THE TEAMS THEIR ARE NOT A PUSH OVER. IF YOU ARE STRUGGLING TO BEAT ESWANTINI SMALL TEAMS WHAT ABOUT THOSE WEST AND NORTH AFRICAN TEAMS. PLEASE COACH AGREY PULL UP YOUR SOCKS, DO SOMETHING.