A second half Fashion Sakala well taken goal was not enough as Zambia bow out of the race to qualify for Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
A late Federico Bicoro equaliser for Equatorial Guinea earned the West African a point to put them with 2 points of Tunisia, who will be in action later against Mauritania.
Zambia remain third on 4 points while leaders Tunisia with 9 points. Equatorial Guinea are on 7 points have destiny in their own hands.
The next World Cup will be in 2026! It means the likes of Patson Daka will be 27 years old.
FULL TIME: Zambia 1-1 Equatorial Guinea ( Fashion Sakala 65′ | Federico Bicoro 81′ )
We do not have the quality to qualify for any major tournament because our defense is non existent our midfield without Mwepu lacks the minimum quality. I really don’t know what we can do but the FAZ presdo has shown us that he has failed without doubt. We need the likes of bene Chris and Chintu or Linos Chalwe to prepare yo take over FAZ as i believe these guys know what it takes to be a player or play in better leagues to help our national team perform better. Kamanga should leave now and let some one with a football brain run the show. Kamanga can contribute by ensuring principles of good corporate governance are followed. Good corporate governance has failed to qualify us to any major tournament. Kamanga give way pleas we are exhausted abd need some one new.
While I have respect for Chris Katongo, Chintu and Linos Chalwe as former footballers, none of them is qualified to run FAZ? Kalu was grade 12/Form 5 with a good command of English played at the highest level as well. These 3 you have mentioned are not educated to Kalus level.
The problem with Zambian football today is not only administrative but the behavior of our so called local clubs that have been importing useless and below average foreign players to the Zambian Premier League, thus taking up the places of young talented Zambian players. FAZ know very well about this problem but have been sleeping
A team in the ZPL can have as many foreign players as it wishes but FAZ should tell these clubs that the rule we as FAZ are going to make is follows;
a) That only two (2) foreign players can play in the starting 11 at the same time during the course of the game
That way we are shall be protecting the home based players. It is the same in business circles you have to protect the home industry than allow all sorts of foreign investors. It is just the way it is
At the moment you see players from Botswana, Namibia, Ghana, Nigeria playing Professional football in the ZPL, I am afraid these half-baked and very useless players do not add any value to our game. As long as we continue in that path we will not get anywhere
Lastly the continuous ignoring of players with Zambian roots piling their trade outside Zambia is an issue. Why should a young man born from Zambian parents living abroad be denied a chance to play for his parent’s country of birth??? With the mentality of most soccer fans who think it is not a good idea well we shall continue paying the price.
If we can the same way it will be the same story. We have failed to qualify for AFCON 4 times in a row. This speaks volumes. We are just not as good as we think. As far as men’s football is concerned we are useless. That is the truth
Had COSAFA been a tournament where you play qualifying games Zambia would not have made it.
It is not only the useless coaches but FAZ to blame
I rest my case
Let kamanga resign now..
Kemukathe zambianDr bryune
Clearly FAZ no longer has a clue on how football in Zambia can keep pace with other countries. This is not just about BC but the selection of the entire technical bench. Zambia does not have the acumen to play slow paced football that needs a high IQ. The North African football is what we need to study and adopt. We also have a constant change to the starting 11 resulting in poor coordination. The AFCON winning under 20 team should have been retained as a starting 11 and not these fly by nights we now see everyday!
New coach is much needed. Micho was not bad and would probably have done really well if afforded the patience. The only reason I don’t think Chambeshi is going to take us anywhere is that his team selection has not evolved. Micho was always trying new players and new things.
@Kopala
Well said unfortunately pa Zed we don’t know how to work with our predecessors . No matter how bad a predecessor might be learn something from him . Kalu , Chris Katongo , Charlie Kool , Stone Nyirenda, Simataa , Kamanga, etc this is a natural crisis put your differences aside if any and work together. Nobody is better than the other but we compliment one another.
When is the issue zambian circus begining? > local coach, no foreign coach, local coach forein coach, local foreign local ……..
……kamanga… kalusha….. no…..kamanga…. kalusha….kamanga…..
The biggest problem is Football Association of Zambia. The people running the association are Clueless. They have messed up the recruitment of coaches. Coaches are recruited late and given an ultimatum which is impossible to fulfill in a short time. These coaches are just used as scapegoats for someone’s failures at the top.
Our problem is bigger than faz president. Our players dont have what it takes. Very lazy luck of creativity. The 2012 class was determined fighting spirit. What has gone wrong with Mulenga,Shonga and mwape .we need to pick players besased on hight,skillful and creativity. We need a Foreign coach. No Zambian coach has been successful on international stage.
there is one point we missing as a nation ,the appointment of coaches is not in good faith.so my suggestion is bring buildcon coach who made them to caf.
Just a Question. The first game Zambia played in Equatorial Guinea, EQG made 5 substitutions when Zambia made only 3
No fighting spirit from the current players, surely Stophira Sunzu could not watch a striker head the ball into the net with all the space in the world! Why were our defenders there, to watch how beautifully the Guinea player headed the ball into Zambia’s net. And other point is about the coach Chambeshi, he knew Zambia needed as many goals as possible to re-kindle Zambia’s chances of qualifying to next round, but he did not feature any of the centre-forwards in the team! Who did he expect to rain the goals into the opponent’s goal. Fashion is naturally a winger not Central striker! He had 3 strikers on the bench to choose from! That’s were everything went wrong! I think he doesn’t like money for him to choose not to win!
zambian soccer is no longer available now is time Tanzania is Taifa stars ‘s turn wel done Taifa stars and the girls to doing picking up cosafa cup. All zambian must walk with theirs heads down zambian soccer is rotten now rubbish pull out from all competitions shame to u players supporters everyine who loves zambian soccer…..
“Since I had been out for more than a year, they gave me a 20 percent chance of ever playing at the top level again. They literally said: this is going to be an impossible mountain to climb.”
It appears that Charlie Musonda Jr. has climbed the impossible mountain as he has appeared in Chelsea training ahead of the 2021/22 season.
At this point WHY NOT! He can never make it into the Belgium team. Give him a shot. Ba FAZ don’t be proud.
The coach Chambeshi is an average performer and cannot lift the team to a higher level. It’s good Faz had attached 3 expatriate staff on the bench. Am sure they learnt a thing or two about the calibre of our players. However what baffles me is the sidelining of players from the 2012 team. How come they have remained active, 8 years to date, at the foreign clubs but sidelined by our local coaches. No wonder Zambia has failed to make Afcon 4 times. Let the expatriate coaches interact with players such as Kalunga, Sunzu, Sinkala, the Kangwa brothers, and the pose of players in the UK as well as the players in Armenian league. Camped with the current national players the team will definitely change in outlook. Going forward Chambeshi is not the man for this project.
@ Frog, working with predecessor is tricky. The person targeted must be willing to work. However people sit on the sidelines and wait for a debacle b4 wanting to be approached. Administration wise the current Faz has got it right compared with scandal ridden former team at football House. In any case former office bearers like Kalusha and company are in bad books with Fifa, I don’t see why any one would keep parroting about that gang that negatively affected international sponsorship. Move sycophants!
That FAZ admin definitely had its faults and very egregious ones too, but they also had a vision and a plan that got Zambia an AFCON trophy at senior level, and another at U-20. This admin despite being better with logistics and team travel has failed to even qualify for the AFCON. They have also failed to even challenge for a place in the World Cup.
If they were serious, they would be searching for a permanent coach right now. Because the time to start preparing for 2023 AFCON is right now.
Since Kamanga admin took over in 2016:
1. We have not qualified for an AFCON
2. WE have failed to even challenge for a place in World Cup. The team is technically out of contention with 2 games left to play
3. There have been 6 coaching changes in 5 years. The most, it is like a coach can’t even last 2 years in the seat because this admin thinks that they will find a silver bullet coach to shoot us to the top
This admin has somehow done wonders for the women, but when it comes to the male national team; they have failed miserably. Despite having one of the most talented U-20 classes that this nation has ever seen. If we we were able to build on the 2007 U-20 team and win an AFCON, what more the Daka, Mwepu, Sakala class!!! These guys are failing us and as long as you continue to accept mediocrity then expect it as well.
FAZ is in shambles i feel you guys lack football brains to run football… i doubt it if you guys ku football house do watch international games look at big teams i.e portugal, Belgium, Italy and Argentina there selection is rather a combination of young and old plays. Our team looks like an academy with wrong reverse pyschology mind games of rebuilding. Come on guys football is never like that, Sunzu and Co are still playing competitive football at the highest level but you always overlook them.. is zambia’s performances satisfying to you? If no! Kindly resign Kamanga and Co