The Football Association Zambia has announced that they have picked the new Chipolopolo coach and will be announcing the name soon.
A statement from the FA states that FAZ has completed the selection process and is only completing the consultative process after evaluating unsolicited applications and expert coaches.
The Chipolopolo coaching job fell vacant after the resignation of Wedson Nyirenda last month.
The Zambia national team is currently in South Africa where they will play in the final of the regional Cosafa Cup tournament on Saturday under the tutelage of Beston Chambeshi.
Below is the statement from FAZ.
Media Release
(For Immediate Release)
Football House, 7 June 2018
SELECTION AND APPOINTMENT OF NEW ZAMBIA NATIONAL TEAM COACH: FAZ IN FINAL PHASE OF CONSULTATIONS
Following the departure of Wedson Nyirenda and initiation of a specific and thorough process to appoint a new trainer for the Chipolopolo, FAZ is pleased to announce that the process has been progressing very well and is now into the final phase which involves engagement with various stakeholders and partners.
Thereafter, Football House will issue a new statement on the appointment and unveiling of the coach identified of which selection consideration was open to both Zambian and non-Zambian citizens.
The “technical evaluation” of unsolicited applications as well as other coaching experts included reviewing the requisite professional coaching qualifications, experience, ambition, knowledge of Zambian football as well as possessing a great capacity for adaptation and ability to work in a competitive team with an immediate target of qualifying the Zambia national team to the AFCON 2019.
With finality to the selection process now expected to stretch beyond this Friday owing to stakeholder engagement, FAZ will keep the media and nation informed of developments into the coming week.
ADRIAN KASHALA
DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL
“the requisite professional coaching qualifications, experience, ambition, knowledge of Zambian football”
The statement sounds like he may be Zambian.
But when it comes to local coaches chambeshi is the best.
Let that coach be a Zambian. Let us plough money back to our community coaches rather than enriching foreign coaches. We are now capable of handling the position of a national team coach.
Absolutely disagree with your sentiment. We are a big footballing nation and it is about time we regained the footballing respect we deserve. truth be told we don’t have a local coach that can take us to Qatar or even win us the AFCON. We should we reduce our footballing prominence in the name “ploughing back into our community”. Our community till this day still celebrates our 2012 win, why should they be deprived of such accolades.
Fine, be local or foreign, but lets not talk about colour.
I do not agree with you Big Steve 4rm SA please substantiate your your statement with Truth! Are you also picturing a white Coach when you say foreign Coach?
agreed and sense
Now I see why there is a problem at FAZ and in Zambian football in general.
To my understanding, ‘unsolicited applications for the coaching job’ means prospective coaches applying speculatively.
For such an important national assignment, with main stakeholder being the taxpayer, you cannot accept to consider unsolicited applications for a job.
In case you employ someone through this “unsolicited method,” what happens when you disagree over some conditions in future, when you never asked that character to apply?
Whatever the case to me the best coach will be a Zambian. If they have no capacity, then send them abroad for capacity building, or create a soccer coaches training academy in Zambia. Ifima University ubwingi muchalo.
ALICK TEMBO how can someone say we are capable when WADA ,Chicken George and Janza have failed lamentably?some of the people who make comments here they chipolopolo supporters really?
These are the kind of arguments I do not allude to simply because I have also seen a lot of foreign Coaches fail lamentably some even bellow WADA WADA and Chicken George. Please Zambians stop living in a bubble and mature, argue with truth!
like at ACON2012 hahahahahahahaa
The truth pains,no local coach is ready to be national coach period the track record is there for any one who has been following Zambian football for the past ten years. No need for one to explain deeply.
Inferiority indeed is a disease no matter how better a local Coach can be the inferior pinheads will always mourn for a muzungu coz they are used to leak the boots of their master. I salute all those who support local Coaches!
Now the national team is for trying every jim and jack coach all in the name of empowering .
@TRUTH – SELENIKO TWIKALE
I honestly want to agree with what you are saying. I was actually a fan of hiring Wadda until I watched Zambia play under him against Nigeria and at that point I was convinced that he was in above his head. I was a fan of Wada because he was a coach who had the success at Zesco, Zanaco, and even in Mozambique, so I felt he was a zambian who had earned this role.
I was also a supporter of Janza, because on paper he was the most qualified Zambian coach there was. UEFA A/B license, FAZ Technical director i.e. he was training coaches, he was a long time assistant under Renard. And yet he too fell short in AFCON and his teams did not play well.
I feel it is time for a foreign coach because Zambia has the talent, but our tactical shortcomings as evidenced under Janza and Wada…One (Wada) perhaps the most successful local coach we had, and the other Janza, the most educated coach we have. If these two…of our very best failed, then who in the local league can take on this job? We are wasting potential, we need new ideas.
And if you want to look at what an effect a coach can have on a team or players, look no further than Liverpool under Klopp or Manchester City under Pep.
@positive thinking you are for real thinking positively bro,the truth is that all local coaches have been tried to no avail the question is should we continue to go local each time one local fails the material is there quite OK l for one am not for the local idea say foreign even that tigana is,cause some think foreign is just muzungu.
After ama be fails it will be chintu since he is the current assistant to beston,now it the new tread with the national team,
God help our country with vastly talented bola kids.
As at now we do not have a local coach who has the competence to drill chipolopolo
Local coaches are still learning and not ready for this task…Bring an expatriate coach,muzungu is the way and no more chekelako or the term of “kocha kocha “
john starter