. Vandenbroeck

By GODFREY DUBE –
GOVERNMENT says Sven Vandenbroeck’s stay as national team coach all depends on his employers, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ).
Speaking in an interview yesterday, Sports Minister Moses Mawere said the national team coaching contract is between Vandenbroeck and the FAZ, adding that Government only facilitates payments.
Mawere said Government would wait for FAZ to decide the fate of the coach, stating it would be premature to talk about the coach’s future even before it came to an end.
“The fate of the coach lies in the hands of FAZ, it’s not Government to decide because the contract is between the two of them. The coach’s stay lies purely in the hands of FAZ. Government is just a facilitator,” Mawere said.
Mawere said it was too early to talk about the fate of the coach as his contract had not yet expired and still had a number of programmes with the national team.
He said government could not judge the coach currently as he still had a running contract but would rather urge the coach to focus.
“For now, we have to let the coach focus on other issues. Let him do his job instead of us judging him now. Instead, let’s wait for his contract to expire. I think it will be premature to judge him now,” he said.
Mawere said the country’s failure to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup was painful and reminded Vandenbroeck’that Zambia was a powerhouse of football on the continent.
“On the coach saying we are not a footballing nation, that’s his opinion because he was comparing us to other countries that have won more Africa Cup titles than Zambia. We were the favourites but failed and its football,” Mawere said.
Mawere said Zambians should realise that it was not the first time the country was failing to qualify for the Cup of Nations.
“Lack of consistency and failure to qualify on several occasions might be reasons for his words but right now, we should focus on what the president said which needs us to go back to the drawing board and start afresh,” he said.
Vandenbroeck has been under attack following failure by the Chipolopolo to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup.