By SANDRA MWILA –
NCHANGA Rangers may have barely survived relegation last season but that has not stopped them from dreaming big this year where their target has been set at finishing in the top four in the 2018 FAZ top flight division.
With a top-four finish, Nchanga will qualify for the 2019 CAF inter-club competitions.
Club chairperson Yoram Kapai said in an interview yesterday that a lot will change at the club this season and that their sponsors, Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), has shown willingness to meet their demands.
“We want to play continental football, so we have given ourselves a top four finish in the league as a minimum target. A lot at Nchanga will be different this season and our sponsors have listened to our demands,” Kapai said.
While many will dismiss this desire as a mere overambitious pre-season plan, Nchanga will be driven by their exploits of 1998 where they survived relegation by a whisker in 1997 but went on to win the league in 1998 and over-performed in continental football.
He said after the club lost striker Zikuru Adams and defender Jimmy Nakena to Zesco and Zanaco respectively, the team had focussed on beefing up the squad.
“We have foreign players having trails. We are looking at beefing up the team with about five players that will help us achieve our target,” Kapai said.
Meanwhile, Nchanga have parted ways with assistant coach Hector Chilombo after his contract expired on December 31 last year.
“We shall remain with acting coach Evans Sakala and assistant Evans Mwamba, we shall be reviewing the technical bench and see if we shall be making changes,” he said.
Nchanga finished in 16th place, just a slot above relegated Mufulira Wanderers.