FAZ President, Andrew Kamanga says the Association will give the Zambia U-23 National team serious preparations ahead of their final Morocco 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Speaking in his Monday corner weekly update, Kamanga said the Association will do everything possible to bring the foreign based players for the March 2023 games.
Kamanga says the only way to actualize the dream of qualification to Morocco is through proper preparations.
“We will give the under-23 a more comprehensive preparatory program for the next round with some friendly matches that will help them warm up. The bigger picture is to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations and contest for a place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” he said.
“The only way to harness and actualize this dream is to prepare better for the next round that comes in March next year. We are happy that most of the players will be fully engaged with league action while a few from the Africa Cup of Nations bound under-20 will be a great addition.”
“It was not easy doing it with an all-local squad since some of the foreign based players summoned could not be released as the match fell outside the FIFA window. We will do our best to ensure the availability of the foreign based players for the final round,” he said.
Oswald Mutapa’s side will face the 2019 Champions, Egypt in the final round of the Morocco 2023 U23 AFCON Qualifiers.
The defending Champions set up a meeting with the Young Copper Bullets in the final qualifying round after beating Eswatini 1-0 on Sunday in Alexandria stadium.
Zambia on the other hand progressed to the final round with a 2-1 aggregate scoreline after a 1-0 win at Heroes Stadium on Saturday thanks to an Andrew Phiri strike.
The U23 Africa Cup of Nations will take place in July 2023 in Morocco with the first three teams qualifying automatically to the 2024 Olympic Games.
