. Sinkala

By KALUMIANA KALUMIANA  and SANDRA MWILA –
ILLNESS has sidelined Chipolopolo midfielder Nathan Sinkala from club duty at Swiss club Grasshoppers since returning from 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying duty.
Sinkala missed Sunday’s Swiss Super League home derby game against FC Zurich that Grasshopper lost 3-1.  The midfielder said in an interview from Zurich that he had an allergy but that it was nothing alarming.
“Yes I am not feeling well. The doctor told me that I ate something that I shouldn’t be eating but I am feeling much better now,” Sinkala said.
Sinkala returned to Grasshopper just after playing a part in Chipolopolo’s first Group F qualifying victory on October 15 that Zambia won 3-nil over Niger at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
He also captained Chipolopolo in the first leg qualifier away to Niger on October 11 in Niamey that ended scoreless.
Meanwhile, the locally based Chipolopolo players regrouped in Lusaka and had a training session with coach Honour Janza urging them to use the friendly against Ivory Coast to fight for places ahead of 2015 AFCON qualifier against Mozambique on November 15.
Janza said in an interview after a training session at Sunset Stadium in Lusaka that local players should win the friendly against Ivory Coast to add to the Golden Jubilee celebrations.
“It will be nice to win the game against Ivory Coast and I have told the boys to believe in themselves and prove themselves ahead of the Mozambique game. The friendly is not on a FIFA calendar and the foreign based players will not be available and in this view the local players should be ready to take on Ivory Coast,” he said.
Janza also hinted that players like Zesco United’s Jackson Mwanza and Nkana’s Simion Bwalya will be considered in his future call-ups to the national team.
Yesterday’s training session, however, five players namely Ronald ‘Sate Sate’ Kampamba, Nyambe Mulenga, Donshano Malama and Richard Kasonde were sidelined with injuries.
But team physiotherapist Davies Mulenga said quartet were nursing ankle injuries and have been put on light training and will ready for selection adding there was no need to worry.