Albert Joel Mphande is a holder of UEFA B and A coaching badges who also has CAF C, and B coaching licenses and he is a man who has played a big role in the growth of football in Zambia.
He has been involved in all football stages from junior to senior teams at both club and national team level.
He was one of the first coaches for Chiparamba Great Eagles, one of the best academies in Zambia.
After a career-ending injury he suffered at the hands of Nakambala Leopard FC in Mazabuka, Albert Joel Mphande ventured into coaching.
The Zamfoot Crew was at woodlands stadium the home of City of Lusaka FC to have an insight into the man, the myth and we dare say the legend, Albert Joel Mphande.
Mphande explained how the split of K-Stars turned out to be an opportunity for him.
“After Nenani Banda and Kalusha Bwalya parted ways, Nenani remained with the junior K-stars and Kalusha got the senior K-stars and this happened at the time when I was injured which also proved to be an opportunity for me as I was appointed as head coach for all the junior teams,” Mphande told the ZamFoot Crew in an exclusive interview.
Mphande was attached to Chiparamba Soccer Academy which was again changed to Chiparamba Great Eagles for over a decade and nurtured a lot of players.
The name and the success which followed Chiparamba Great Eagles could partly be attributed to Albert Mphande.
Mphande has coached several teams like IFK FC of Sweden, Police Vipers FC of Rwanda, Chipata Young Stars (former division one south campaigners), River plate of Southern Province, Nkwazi FC, and Young Green Eagles.
Mphande has also coached the Zambia under-17, and U-20 national teams and was also attached to the senior national team as an assistant.
At club level he has been known to be a man to stabilize sinking ships and has won many junior trophies while at the national level he is a man with many successes to his name.
“I have won the Mazombwe super juice cups and under 17 Lusaka district league on the local junior club football scene and junior international club level i won independence cup in Mozambique and if you remember very well we were the first southern Africa team to win the Dana and Gothia cup in Sweden and Denmark in one year and this happened when I was coaching the likes of Mwape Mwelwa, Hichani Himonde, Cliford Mulenga, David Nkausu, Fwayo Tembo, Dominic Yobe, Given Singuluma with Chiparamba Great Eagles,” Mphande said.
He coached Baobab school and made it the first Zambian school to reach the quarter-finals of Norway cup in Norway and that is where Mumba Mwape former under-20 National team player was spotted from.
He made Chiparamba Great Eagles a dominant force in Europe from 2002-2005 a thing which made him be spotted by European clubs as he went on to coach in Stockholm of Sweden at IFK FC a team he won promotion with from 4th tier to 2nd tier league during his two seasons he spent at the club before returning to Zambia.
He has coached Nkwazi FC as an assistant and won promotion with them to super league and made them reach the 2016 Barclays Cup (now ABSA cup) final.
It was this time that he discovered and nurtured Justin Shonga and Lameck Banda, he almost won promotion to super league with Kitwe united before he ditched them for City of Lusaka as he left the team in the top 4 of the Eden University National Division One.
Mphande was also part of the Zambia under-17 and U-20 2019 COSAFA cup-winning technical benches, At the Senior level, he won the 2020 Sam Nujoma cup in Namibia all as an assistant to Osward Mutapa.
The under 20 national team which was under the tutelage of George Lwandamina and made headlines at the 2007 CANADA under 20 world cup comprised several Chiparamba Great Eagles players that Mphande nurtured, the likes of Racha Kola, Fwayo Tembo, Cliford Mulenga, William Njobvu, Rabson Mucheleng’anga, and Yoram Mwila.
Mphande is nicknamed Fega after Scottish and Manchester United great, Sir Alex Ferguson.
Mphande explained to the ZamFoot Crew how his famous nickname came about.
“I remember in 2002 Dominic Yobe and Davies Nkausu went to England to Manchester United for attachments, I accompanied them and it was my first time to meet Ferguson and when I came back people started calling me Fega as I also changed my style of coaching and that’s how I was nicknamed Fega,” Mphande revealed.
“You know the late Rupiah Banda and son Nenani they were Manchester United fans so they always like you are Fega yes,” the Yamoto gaffer added.
Identifying and nurturing talent is his strength. The Gaffer is now with City of Lusaka football club as head coach whom he joined mid-way last season and his goal is to make the second-tier team win promotion to the Zambia super league.
