Chipolopolo team manager Lusekelo Kamwambi has explained Jacob Mulenga’s snubbing of a national team call up.
The Daily Mail reports tat Kamwambi said it is not true that Jacob gave conditions for his call up but was not just in the right frame to play for the national team.
“We always contact players before they are named in the squad. I contacted Jacob and he told me he is not 100 percent in the right frame to play for the national team. Contrary to reports that he gave conditions. He is still part of the team and will be considered in future only that he is not ready this time around,” Kamwambi told the Daily Mail.
Mulenga in a text message to Kamwambi said: “I have a lot of respect for George Lwandamina [coach]. That is why I have said it before anything is officially announced.”
Stop begging for players, besides he is a fossil who rarely scores for Zambia. Just develop young ones and stop wasting time on these old chaps.
Your lordship long time, I missed you
Kamwambi stop lying. If Jacob communicated before the squad was announced why was his name among those summoned? Why cover up for him? What 100% when he is playing week in week out and scoring and he is a pro. He is not being advised properly and whoever it is is tarnishing his image.
Are you really saying at his age Jacob needs advice about whether he can play for Zambia or not? I know he might be your favourite but what you are saying is ridiculous. secondly, if he says “Iam not in my right frame” to play for Zambia but he goes and play for his club almost every week what can you get from that? He is basically telling you go and hang I would rather play for my club. We have alot of players like Jacob Mulenga who plays so well at their clubs but plays pathetic for national duties, Jacob is very attacking when playing for his club, see him play for Zambia most of the time he is a statue who 100% waits upon midfielders to supply him balls, Mbesuma is even better when it comes to fighting for the ball same time hunting for the net. Jacob to me seems like national duties are no longer his priority.
Is playing for Zambia a national duty judge? What you telling us my learned friend is that it is mandatory for Jacob to report when requested? Is it not at his discretion what he chooses
What have we seen in the past to players that played for Zambia, the guys walk around in poverty, and no one cares. Let Jacob decide what is best for himself and his family
You say that; “Jacob is very attacking when playing for his club, see him play for Zambia most of the time he is a statue who 100% waits upon midfielders to supply him balls”.
I too would put in more effort when I can see that football is being run properly and I am being paid what I deserve
Please leave Jacob alone just like some people have asked us to leave Kalu and his useless FAZ alone and we have respected that
Cheers
Bottom first, yes Kalu is a prick too we will leave him alone. Yes you are right possibly Jacob just puts in according to what he gets from FAZ… and yes I take calling for foreign based players to come and play for Zambia is a national duty, its Zambia NATIONAL team, though that doesnt mean they need to get screwed to get their allowances. A player should first feel proud to play for his country, thats number one allowances and bonus are just to oil them up but one cant expect to build a house from a once in a while call up for a game. Besides when his arse is broken in China or Europe and no more capable of playing they have the same Zambia to run to in retirement.
I don’t think Jacob has a problem with the country per say. His actions here are synonymous with what happens when players get frustrated by those running the game. You can’t be toying with players like they don’t have feelings.
The right FRAME! Please explain further. Currently, you’ve been banging in goals for that xxxinang club. LACK OF COMMITMENT.
He is not interested to play for Zambia.
Jacob is interested in playing for Zambia, but he has realized that Faz are only interested in playing Tom and Jerry!
You’re contradicting your self man. Jacob is NOT interested. If he was interested as you put it, he was gonna honour the call.
No contradiction here bro. Question you should be asking yourself is that was his call up done in good faith? Jacob has nothing to prove. Zambia doesn’t know how to appreciate players. We tend to use and dump players as if they are dirty linen. And when these players get frustrated we call them unpatriotic. What a joke!
Exactly what I just responded above, this guy is just giving whoever called him a middle finger.
Kamwambi, just read in between the lines. What Jacob meant is that he is not interested at the moment to play for Zambia. I am sure he took into consideration past treatment from FAZ and the coaching staff. This is easy to tell. The guy is not interested to play for Zambia. Leave him alone.
Well done jacob for declining th chipolopolo call up, just remain thr in china and enjoy th Sushi. Coz if u had acceptd th call up, u would hv been injured by that kayawe kapota guy or sat on th bench whilst patson is playing. #Viva jaco nd continue with th same spirit.
Sushi is for Japan not China.
Jacob Mulenga Lipulanga Anyway
If Jacob lipulanga as you put it, then the person that recalled him needs to have his head examined at Chainama Hills Mental Hospital
Ke ke ke. That’s being diplomatic .. Tell us is it right frame of mind or body? Faz and tha technical bench you only rember that you hav a mop when you pore water on the floor … And after all his national call up is not on merit… Its because of crises and a huge call from fans.. The player was in terrific form since when he was in turkey and up to now he is on fire.. Thanks job for ignoring this wagon of fool…
Hear, hear
I dnt blame jacob mulenga on this one I blame the pathetic faz that we have.how do you put a players like jacob, chisamba, lubamba and fwayo on the bench,start players like patson daka charles zulu and bruce musakanya.bravo jacob mulenga
Why beg for him?use kalengo ,sate sate,or even chris katongo
Why not play the same team that played the first game. Changes made after drawing the first game, that we should have won. We knew from the word go that it was about group qualification (points) and not knockout stage. The key was winning all the home games. Were are we now, and this is not the first time. Always waiting until the last minute
Alaways va malaki sure, ma if, that and that, God willing, awe mwe
Jacob Mulenga you have no Valid reason!its not making sense to me! Why can’t you just retire from nation duties? Lwandamina is not Janza, this clearly shows Jacob is a let down player, if it is not injury then will be other issues. New players will be born.
My brother Jacob was retired by the FAZ selectors themselves. What is it that they want from him now? Had Zambia won the first game played at home, do you really think these guys would have bothered to consider Jacob and Mbesuma? Not at all. The 2 were considered because the signs of defeat were written allover the wall
The childishness exhibited by some bloggers on this website is perplexing. Jacob has always been there for the national team and scored vital goals. He was treated in a shabby way by the last regime and the ill will still lingers on his part. The MAN took the high road and excused himself from playing which is the right thing to do IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE 100% MENTALLY IN THE GAME. Let him not come, its fine he has his reasons and so be it. He is Still the best in form striker we have currently.
Well said my man
Well articulated.Jacob is a big boy,therefore knows were He stands.
I respect Jacob for being honest by informing FAZ that he is not ready, unlike some of our players who say yes, knowing fully they are not ready. It is ” kabili banjitile fye, bushe nali be pusha lol!!!
Haha..That’s true.Some of these lads,even when they are not fit nor on foam readily accept a callup.
Jacob is not the kind that will openly castigate Faz on football issues. He’s the diplomatic type who’d rather avoid confrontation. Clearly he’s not happy over something. Players are human beings too whose feelings can be hurt. I wouldn’t call Jacob names or label him unpatriotic. We just have to respect his decision and move on. After all he can choose to retire from the international football if and when he see fit.
As Chisamba showed last time these players have got issues with team selection in Zambia. Most of them are quiet for fear of repercussions. Fan’s anger must be directed at the root and not at the leaves.
Football is a short career so if the likes of Jacob feel valued more and appreciated by their clubs more than their countries who can blame him for giving 100% to his club which not only pays better but also insures him against injuries. Loyalty has to apply both ways.
Thumbs up, very nice comment
germiston south you have talked sense here and others uts an opportunity to attack FAZ.we all know how FAZ and kalu have mismanaged football ⚽ in this country.if Jacob has so much respect for lwandamina he would have come to play,besides its janza who benched him in his entirety and part of HR’s time.Lets be objective here and avoid bringing politics in our game.
If FAZ officials do not want to be attacked there is only 2 solutions to pick from
1. Admit that they have made some mistakes in the running of football in Zambia, have these corrected and move forward
2. If they can’t do as in 1 above then they should all resign
That is the way it is
We lifted the cup without Jacob,Why waste time talking about him.After all he lacks ball control.
So all this while the coaches didn’t realize that he lacks ball control? Football is a sport played by humans not by perfectionists.
And I can tell you for a fact that Jacob’s ball control is way better than Wayne Rooney’s.
Yes you lifted the cup without him, but what has happened after that? Disaster. 2013, struggled to qualify, and then group stage knockout. Drawing with Botswana, losing to Namibia, Sudan etc
At present we are still struggling for AFCON2015, which we started badly, because of making foolish decision when appointing the coach. First Janza and then Lwandamini after panicking
Awe sure mwe, talema ive
JACOB WANTS NO COMPETITION HE IS NOT A KIND OF PLAYER WHO WOULD CHANGE A MATCH LIKE GREAT KALU.WE SHOULD NOT PLEAD FOR HIM AND HE LACKS BALL CONTROL THUS THE TEAM SHOULD BE CREATING CHANCES LIKE ASERNAL OR BARCA.THE QUESTION DO WE THAT QUALITY TO MEET HIS STRENTH?THE TEAM RARELY OR CREATES 2 TO 3 PER MATCH.
All the goals he scored are not from the penalty spot .. He has to control the ball first and connect into the net.. He has ball control… And he can take on defenders .. Did you watch afcon 2010..
fro watching mbesuma, we need mayuka after kenya game. Let him get a club ed game time is very important
Useless FAZ, they don’t deserve another term! How do u feature a 17 year old boy as a topman in a crucial Afcon march? The boy has no track record of scoring goals consistently! Then u bench all the experienced players just bcoz the Head of the FA wants to cash in on the sale of the teenager? When we fail to qualify whose money wud have been wasted. Gentlemen this behaviour of KALU and his minions is the last straw. Anybody who supports this executive after such a debacle is a fool who wants to continue losing money. Jacob and other senior players have had it under this FAZ. Factually even executive members are fed up of the goings on except they wudnt voice out for fear of losing the brown envelopes. Kalusha has to go sooner than later. He has outlived is usefulness for sure.
@ Justice I have a question, Do you think Chris Katongo will turn down the call to the nation team? The guy is patriotic
It all depends on his level of thinking or reasoning. It is a well known fact that some players will say yes to any call up even though they do not feel like playing or are not fit
Jacob’s no is from his heart. Look at Kapota Kayawe, he does not start at Nkana and played 30 minutes last time and got pulled out. The chap is selected to the National Team and he says yes. Why can’t he ask himself a simple question? “If I can’t break in the Nkana first 11 and play week in and week out, do I qualify for the Senior team” the answer being a big no, I will call the coach & FAZ to explain to them that I feel I am not ready yet, will rather stay home and establish myself at Nkana”. To some players fyonse ne yes bwana. Sometimes you have to face and tell facts
Just to add on to your answer to Germiston’s question. Saying yes to call ups doesn’t necessarily mean you’re patriotic.
Zambia isn’t focused cos the technical bench do the will of the fans and that’s wrong, take my country Ghana for eg. Our FA decided to develop young talent into the team and selected young players even when most fans were in disagreement. Due to the consistency and long term fore sight Ghana has alot of experienced young players in Europe.
Yes the team may loose some matches like the time we lost to Zambia with these young chaps in afcon semis. But the big picture is what matters. Zambia technical handlers should get a long term plan an stick to it. In Ghana no player is irreplaceable
Get consistent squad so they grow together. Changing faces in a team affects the teams cohesion. Eg barca and Spain keep a group of players together for long and it works like magic.
@MR.EMMS,SPOT ON,WHY SHOULD A COACH OR FAZ DO WHAT SOCCER FANS,IT SHOWS LACK OF DIRECTION.PIPO IN ZAMBIA THINK WATCHING FOOTBALL ON DSTV AND ANLYSE IT THEY THINK ARE COACHES OR CAN THE NATIONAL TEAM.AN ANLYSA IS OWEZ RITE.MOURINHO SAID PUNDITS ALWAYS WINS MATCHES.
Fans get involved because a coach and Faz are all humans. And all humans make mistakes. Soccer fans and analysts also know a thing or two about football and they are stakeholders too. Football is not rocket science.
People may not understand why everyone blames Kalu for whatever goes wrong with our team.Kalu himself, is a former soccer player who should have interest of these players. Remember how Chris was treated by Janza. Whatever Chris did, he deserved some respect. As the most achieving Zambia National Team Captain, Chris was supposed to be retired ceremoniously. Probably, with a testimonial match like many other soccer players elsewhere. Today Chris is bitter, seeing the team that he helped build going to a waste. Even the team that represented Zambia an Afcon 2015, wasn’t the best available. Bruce Musakanya, Patson Daka, Sautu etc. And Kalusha an experienced Campaigner at Afcon, presided over this nonsense. I love Kalu and I started watching him when he was still playing for Mighty. But for now, I feel he needs help. Otherwise, Zambia won’t qualify for Afcon 2017.
The point raised by Mr EMMS is quite valid. However wat he forgets is that Ghanian youngsters deserved to be part of the team by their consistent perfomance at their respective clubs! A bad example of poor planning is wen the chaps want to cash in regardless of the poor perfomance of juniors. Kalu and his minions are so inept they tried to flog an under age player! This came to light when Renard at Lille rejected Patson Daka! Here Mr EMMS we talking about an incompetent FAZ whose President resides in RSA, he is divorced from reality of Zambian football. Which football fraternity in Africa wud accept such nonsense. To compound the situation the President picks the team, especially the pros plying their trade outside the country. Players who have fallen foul of his hatred, which is legendary, never put on the Chipo jersey again! Examples abound eg Signs Chibambo who is past his best, and now Rodger Kola our best striker now in Greece! Ask the players of their opinions on this Kalu, he treats them like his garden boys. Its that bad. Zambia does not need this chappie anymore. We shud get rid of him with no more care than we wud when discarding ” a rotten apple from the barrel”. These sound like strong words despite his past achievements. But he is “playing God” with our beloved game.HE MUST GO
wow…I can feel the anger in your contribution.
I am very disappointed with Jacob, I honestly thought he was one of those players whose strength of character was above emotional nonsense. It is quite clear he has just snubbed this call up and I smell a rat him mentioning the coaches name. Yes the flight from China is very long and tiring to come and have a big possibility of sitting on the bench for untried players like Patson…..but then again its the bigger picture that matters the most. Even sitting on the bench a player must ask himself ” why am I here” and then answer himself ” I’m here proudly doing duty for my mother Zambia regardless”……I have to give it to Mbesuma, if there is a player who has in the past had every right to snub a call up it is him and yet he has always had the mental strength to rise above emotional crap and report for duty.
George Lwandamina really is a Chicken.
I see Justice Lukanga Kafusha is responding to every comment trying to justify Mulenga’s decision.But saying it with a sober mind,Jacob has made a mistake.No player has permanent place in 1st eleven and him being left on bench isnt a bg deal.His decision wont benefit hm in any way.When he comes back finished and aged from China,Zambians should not give him any attention.He isnt patriotic
@ Scotch I’d like to know how you define patriotic. Have you considered the fact that all your opinions about Jacob are based purely on what you’ve read in the media? Could it be that you’re being harsh on the guy without having the full details of why he decided against joining the camp? After his career I don’t think he will crave for the attention of anyone. After all he is one of the few that can proudly say he was a successful professional footballer. This same Jacob you’re disowning today may well turn up to be a successful zambian coach some day. God works in mysterious ways my brother.
An article from The Post reads: FRED Mwila has backed Jacob Mulenga’s decision to decline a Chipolopolo call-up because the player is not guaranteed to play.
In an interview, the former Chipolopolo coach said Mulenga had every right to reject a national team call-up if he has not been treated well in the past.
He said any player of Mulenga’s calibre would think twice to join the national team if he had been subjected to the bench without proper reason.
“It is not right to bring someone all the way from China and let him sit on the bench. He has every right to think twice about it because you sit on the bench, yet some players on the pitch are failing to perform when you know you can do better,” Mwila said.
He said there are many foreign-based players who are not getting enough game time abroad but still make it in the Chipolopolo starting line-up at the expense of players who play regularly at their clubs.
Mulenga of Chinese club Shijiazhuang Yongchanj recently told team manager Lusekelo Kamwambi that he would not be part of the team for next month’s Africa Cup qualifier against Kenya because he was not in the right frame of mind.
The lanky striker did not, however, elaborate on his reasons for declining the call-up.
In a text message to Kamwambi, Mulenga said he still had a lot of respect for Chipolopolo coach George Lwandamina but could not join the national team at the moment.
Lwandamina has summoned 13 foreign-based players, among them Chisamba Lungu, who has in the past also complained of sitting on the bench.
With goals eluding Chipolopolo in recent matches, Mulenga’s absence will come as a blow to Lwandamina who has also recalled striker Collins Mbesuma.
Mwila, however, counselled players that not all of them could be used for a game. He said it was up to the coach to pick a strong team that would deliver.
– See more at: http://www.postzambia.com/news.php?id=10831#sthash.JTgviyux.dpuf
nstead of hacking jacobs decision not to come for the kenya game…some pipo should ask themselves why he made that decision……he is 31…enjoyed a rich vein of form on the pitch….if he comes here he knows for some unknown reason he just might be on the bench….(the chisamba issue)….i dont think ghana can call up jordan ayew to warm the bench..(thats just an example)…professional players are regarded first and only second to exceptional local players….they are playing abroad for a reason…they have earned it due to there hard work..day in day out…at 31 he is in his twilight days….so he has to manage his career maturely…all the best kapembwa maice wandi
ati not patriotic which of you gentlemen would apply for leave from your regular job and volunteer your services and skills to a govement department were your particular skills set is relevant for less than 5% of what you get at your regular job for the same work done those of you who have done this or something similar for mother zambia are the true patriots like every proffesional player who has played for mother zambia but most of you unpatriotic gentlemen just sit and criticize real patriots shame on u