. Chipolopolo

By SANDRA MWILA –
SEVENTEEN of the 26 local players summoned for the Chipolopolo three-day training programme reported to camp yesterday as newly appointed interim coach Honour Janza got his preparations for the Morocco 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers underway.
Speaking after a training session at Barclays Sports Complex in Lusaka yesterday, Janza said he was expecting the remaining players from Nkana, Power Dynamos and Zesco United to join their colleagues in camp by today.
Janza said striker Ronald ‘Sate Sate’ Kampamba and defender Christopher Munthali picked up knocks in Nkana’s 1-0 win over Al Ahly in a Confederation of African Football (CAF) Group B on Saturday and would be assessed by the national team doctors.
“We expect to have all the players by tomorrow (today) and this training camp is not new but a continuation of the FAZ policy of concentrating on the local players by keeping them up to date with their philosophy.­­­­­
“So far I am comfortable with most players that I have called, they are making headlines in local the league and I hope they will be of help at national level,” Janza said.
Janza expressed happiness with the fitness levels of the local players, stating that they should be able to maintain the good performance at their clubs to help them deliver at national team level.
He said local players stood a chance of being part of the Chipolopolo that will begin the campaign for a place at the 2015 AFCON finals with a home match against Mozambique on September 6 at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
“Foreign-based players cannot do without local players as they have to blend with each other to make a strong team based on performance. So no foreign-based players or locals hold permanent places in the national team but will be picked based on performance,” he said.
Meanwhile, Janza said his coaching bench was keeping a tab on the performance of other teams in the group and assured that the Chipolopolo would be ready when the qualifiers start.
“We know Mozambique, we played them when Dario Bonnetti was still Chipolopolo coach but we are aware that football is dynamic and we will not rely on the past,” Janza said.
On an inspiration note, musician Levy Sakala made a stop-over at Barclays Sports Complex to pray and share the word of God with the Chipolopolo players with Janza saying, men of God were free to visit and give spiritual motivation to the players because God is a centre of people lives.