By FAZ Media
Zambia U23 National Team coach Oswald Mutapa has challenged his players to take a lesson from the junior national teams that have qualified for their respective Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments.
Mutapa says both the U17 and U20 national teams have shown consistency through hard work, and it will only complete the junior football cycle if the U23 replicates their performance and qualifies for the 2023 AFCON to be held in Morocco in June.
Zambia dates Egypt in the third and final round of the 2023 U23 AFCON Qualifiers on March 19, 2023, before hosting the North Africans eight days later.
Both the U17 and U20 Men’s National Teams qualified for the continental showpiece to be held in Algeria and Egypt in perfect style after emerging champions at the COSAFA Championships that were used as qualifies for the AFCON.
“We have to get a leaf from the U20 and U17 teams that have all qualified for the AFCON, it means we have to work extremely hard to do the same. The young boys have done it, and we can equally do the same but it’s all about hard work,” Mutapa said after overseeing his charges slump to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the U20 in a practice match played at National Heroes Stadium.
Moses Mulenga and Emmanuel Mukosha scored for the U20 but in the second practice match, Mutapa’s charges defeated Chisi Mbewe’s lads via an Enock Sakala junior solo goal.
“It’s a tough (against Egypt) one but it’s all about preparation and the way we account ourselves on the day of the game. We will play the first game away and the following week we play the last game so we will have our last hurdle which we have to look at and prepare well,” Mutapa said.
The U23 Tournament in Morocco will serve as the African qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The top three teams of the AFCON will qualify for the Paris Games while the fourth-place team will play the playoffs to decide the final slot.
