Zambia has fallen seven places on the FIFA Coca-Cola World Ranking to stand on position 97 according to the rankings released today.
The Chipolopolo gained one place last month but their failure to record good results in he past few months which saw them draw with Zimbabwe has seen the former African Champions tumble to a record low of 26th position in Africa.
Zambia is now behind the likes of Swaziland, Mauritania and Namibia having won only one match against Uganda in their last five games since Wedson Nyirenda took charge of the team.
Zambia’s opponents in the World Cup qualifiers Algeria, Cameroon and Nigeria are all in the top 11 in Africa with Cameroon ranking 33rd in the world and third in Africa.
AFRICAN RANKINGS WITH WORLD IN BRACKETS
1. Egypt (19), 2. Senegal (30) 3. Cameroon (33) 4. Burkina Faso (35) 5. Nigeria (40) 6. Congo DR (41) 7. Tunisia (42) 8. Ghana (45) 9. Ivory Coast (48) 10. Morocco (53) 11. Algeria (54) 12. South Africa (64) 13. Mali (69) 14. Guinea (71) 15. Uganda (72) 16. Kenya (78) 17. Cape Verde (82) 18. Benin (18) 19. Gabon (84) 20.Congo (84) 21. Swaziland (88) 22. Mauritania (90) 23. Libya (91) 24. Namibia (94) 25. Guinea Bissau (94) 26. Zambia (97)
Useless. The u-20 should replace this worthless and egocentric senior team. I bet the young boys can beat the senior team at this rate. I hope the young boys will never act like senior team players after winning the AFCON 2012. Everything just went drownward spiral. Wada wada was quoted this week as saying most players grew “big headed” after the triumph and looks like the have failed to regain the form,descipline and spirit that made them win the cup. Though not in support of this, but I think its time for a reset button with the senior squad and Russia 2018 is a benchmark for me. If they fail to qualify, then axe everyone that is over the age of 24 or not performing at their club level, I mean everyone, I don’t care who it is. We ain’t doing anything worth of pride, but have continued to slide, so what the heck! Might as well play the current u-20 and let them get beat if it happens, but as they continue to play together, they will be better off. That’s how I look at it now and I give credit to Kalu for doing what I just said with that team that won in 2012. Kalu with his leadership, before he became corrupt and big headed in my opinion, was what Zambian football needed that time, but he let us down…(thats okey, that’s spilled milk now) Its time to move forward and hopefully Kamanga does whats is best for Zambian football(and not worry about his pocket), and continue to develop these young men in whichever way is beneficial to Zambia. If Zambia does not return to be most feared team in Africa in the next 4-6 years, then count Kamanga and his leadership as the most failed admin in Zambian football history because the foundation is there, so don’t screw it up. WE WATCHING AND WE NEED RESULTS.
I feel like splitting Zambia in two.
I certainly agree with most things you said man!
After changing the core of the 2012 Afton winning team,it has been a rebuilding process.Will get back to where we belong very soon.hard luck my Zambia my chipolopolo
I agree with you!
All have been said but people they are afraid to tell the truth. I am really sorry to say this wada wada is too small to coach chipolopolo. If we are really serious about rebuilding chipolopolo an expatriate coach is needed. Wada wada is too raw to coach a big team like zambia. Since kamanga got into office chipolopolo is yet to win a match.
This is a lie Wada can do it! The problem is the negativity of both soccer players and supporters. There are lot of local Coaches who did and have done wonders with their National Team namely Egypt, Congo DRC, Nigeria to mention a few but the moment we start singing a foreign Coach when we don’t even have money then the situation starts to be trivial.
It is on this site five years ago in 2012 where most bloggers castigated Harve Renard them Man was swimming in all kinds of insults till He won the AFCON but even then some people twisted the whole victory onto some one Else’s credit but not until Harve Renard proved it again with Ivory Coast.
The truth is, let us be honest, the Coach alone will not make a team win and rise against odds, the players too! must put their level best as we have witnessed with the current U20 who have done it with Beston Chambeshi (Again this Coach has been insulted and belittled by some bloggers on this site). Please stop lamenting and be positive for once, people!
@Tony Mash You are saying the truth and Zambia is too big a team for Wedson Nyirenda to coach .Wedson Nyirenda was such a terrific strike for Chiefs and I watched him from 1994 but I do not think he is fit to coach Zambia.Patrick Phiri is a very good coach who is overlooked and he is experienced.
Some of the best Coaches were not even the best players you could think ever of what are talking about, it’s like saying a very intelligent pupil can make a very good teacher or the best head prefect of a school can make a very good President these are very different platforms ask Carlos Alberto Parreira, Arrigo Sacchi, Bill Struth, Avram Grant and many more they will laugh at you. These are things that make Africa always stuck at the tail end, a retrogressive mindset.
This is Apathy.
There should be a plan to remedy this soon. It’s very important that the team gets the ranking up in order to get favorable draws. This is very sad
I am more interested in the Senior team performance. I mean losing a crucial home game in a World Cup Qualifier should have been grounds to issue a clarion call to the team. Win your next game or else! The failed to win in Cameroon. I don’t know many serious football countries were such mediocre performances could be tolerated. It seems Zambia is one football mad Country that can allow their World Cup dream to vanish on the get go. The team has been experimented on, chopped since winning Afcon and still it is sputtering into oblivion. We need a serious Senior National team set and players who are excelling at Club level. It is high time Kalaba was demoted from the Captaincy.
He has not added value in terms of leadership. As long Katongo can play, why not stick with him till he retires? You have James Chamanga who is doing exceptionally well and one of the longest serving players in the Chinese league…surely Mbesuma injury means that Chamanga with his experience should play in the next Afcon and World Cup Qualifiers perhaps as Captain or give it to Mweene. We need for friendlies. And I agree that if thadminFAZ @TcsoccerTcsoccerman fail to propel this U20 team into a formidable Team in the future this will be almost scandalous. We are watching !!!!
For serious people rebuilding the team can only take 3 months. Zambia has done it before just after Gabon air crash. it was just took three months we went up to the afcon final, missed the world cup by a point.
Kamanga got it wrong by giving Wada a three years contract without probation games. I don’t think we wil let Wada and kamanga continue for three years if this trend continues.
In your dreams not in this modern time soccer has evolved a lot one needs a short and long term plan to provide for the present and future victories if you are to succeed. As in all these instances one needs a vivid and candid plan with a clear and specific scope.
Was it not your Daddy Chagwa Lungu that came running his mouth saying “forget about a foreign coach”? Dictator Chagwa hired Wawa wada. How short memory people are you PF cadres? Amazing. Meanwhile, Kalu is pissed as Chagwa has not repaid him with a position in Lungu’s corrupt govt for kicking the ball during the campaigns. Shaking my head right now.
Every team has a circular process involving ups and downs. Personally, I don’t read too much into these rankings especially since we have not been playing many games (this is what we need to work on). The only problem is when it comes to pooling the team, you end up with the ‘so called’ big guns. Unfortunately whatever the case if you have to win any tournament you have to beat whoever you are given, as the U20s showed us. So let go Zambia. We should just avoid allowing some regional teams leap over us, they make life difficult
Togo and Angola went to the WC when least expected. We can also do it.
Nothing to smile about. Its draws like the ones against Zimbabwe that cost us. In much we want to ignore these ratings, they are vital for recording favourable World Cup draws. Let the coach get more friendlies.
My comments are loading……………
The FIFA calendar is not a secret so advance planning where we engage competitive countries before hand and sign contracts to play friendlies in advance will help us a lot. South Africa, USA and many great footballing nations do that and have penalties included in the contract foe last minute cancellations as was the case with Tanzania. The old way of doing business has to go, we can’t always just wing it and play weak countries and fail to beat them…But then again based on our ranking we are weak too and maybe no one wants to risk their ranking by playing us.
This ranking raises eyebrows. Sure what will Amaswathi say when they find themselves well ahead of Zed despite the fact that they never dream of beating Zambia without the hand of God. FIFA is not serious.
@ Logic
I m deeply sorry for my response yesterday, I never meant to hurt you but I was wrong to have used a strong words. We should not insult each other , or insult other people .its not about kalu or kamanga, all these people deserve respect just like you do.
platforms like this should be used to build each other and the nation.
sorry brother Logic
Apology accepted and I extend my apology to you as well. I think we all have a responsibility to ensure that this site does not turn into an insult laden forum like Lusaka Times or Zambia Watchdog. We need to focus on debating ideas and not attacking those with different opinions. It’s all good and no grudge held on my part. It takes a man to apologize for their actions and I salute you for that. Hope you have a good weekend my friend. 🙂
I thank you for you are a great man too.
lets build our football together
What did I miss yesterday? You two got into it? Well, I was busy watching Donnie Boy bomb the sh!t out of Asad. I might be getting into active duty. Can’t wait. I hate dictators, especially if they are killing their own people.
We can’t base everything on these rankings,however this gives us an idea as to how much effort we must put in to redevelop our Zambian football.I feel wadawada must be left alone to his and FAZ must do their work even the government too.We can’t start the rebuilding process with an expatriate coach coz we do not know if he is gonna around in the next four months.In the past foreign coaches could stay and not now.Even in 1993 the rebuilding process started with local coaches,Mr Freddie Mwila Snr,Fordson Kabole before Rould Pouvsen and later Ian Poterfield came in to drill the team.Be reminded also that the team that reached the finals in 1994 was not the same team that minted bronze at afcon 1996.There was another rebuilding process in 1995 by Freddie Mwila Snr and later Raold Povsen.Thankfully then we had a very strong Under 23 team in place which had players like Davies Phiri,Kelvin Mutale,Mwape Miti,Hilary Makasa,Dennis Lota to mention a few.In a nutshell,the rebuilding process must begin with a local coach and i feel Wada is the right person for the job.
wada can be a good regional coach but I don’t think he can be at continental level.
otherwise he has the chance to prove us wrong, kesh did it. his pay was very low, he did not have a contract until he proved himself thats when he was handed a professional contract with a good pay
These rankings have some element of truth. There was a world cup at one time where all teams ranked below 30 had qualified except two teams. sadly Zambia was among the two that did not make it to the world cup.
I vividly remember the world cup match commentators saying the same repeatedly
pliz Faz arrange for a better friendly during july Fifa window
Walter BWALYA pliz
We can only improve on our fifa ranking if play quality friendlies not the nonses that kamanga is doing for your own information stop blaming the coach but the main culprit here is kamanga because he has failed to organise quality while our coleague was playing the international friendly zambia was busy playing lusaka dynamo which was very shallow of an administer
We need more friendlies , the Kamamga admin promised us lots of improvements on the game . Frankly , we should have maintained the winning momentum after AFCON Victory , defeat should be bitter! . Even that game against Nigeria where we lost , it was a winnable game . Get the example of the 1994 assembled Chipolopolo against Morocco where Zambia took it that defeat was never an option and against all olds , we beat the much fancied high ranked team in Africa. Kalaba is not a Captain material , I think other teams on the continent must be laughing at us!.