Sports Minister Elvis Nkandu has described as regrettable the suspected food poisoning incident that affected members of the National Football Team during their trip to South Africa.
Speaking in an interview with ZNBC News, Mr. Nkandu said he is awaiting a comprehensive report from the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
He emphasized, however, that the setback should not be used as an excuse for the team’s defeat in the friendly match.
Mr. Nkandu urged the Chipolopolo to take all friendly fixtures seriously, stressing that such encounters are vital for Zambia’s global football rankings. He further acknowledged that the recent loss has negatively impacted the country’s standing in international football.
And FAZ President Keith Mweemba says the Chipolopolo’s 3-1 loss to South Africa does not reflect the team’s potential.
Mweemba says a lot of factors could have led to the team’s poor performance but that they will bounce back against Angola.
Addressing the team after the game, he said friendly games are a platform for the team to work together, adding that they will work towards getting better as they prepare for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations -AFCON- tournament.
Mweemba says the team is still work in progress but that they must work on consolidating a lot of areas.
Cindy Mulomba, ZNBC
One of the factors being failure to convience yourselves that Grant deserved a chamce to take a team he qualified to AFCON.
Now we have an experimental and less qualified technical bench trusted with doing miracles.