THE draws for the 30th edition of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals were done and dusted in the Equatorial Guinea capital of Malabo last Wednesday night.
Zambia got what I feel was a favourable draw against fellow past champions, Tunisia, DR Congo and 2013 AFCON debutants, Cape Verde.
Now that we know the dates for our Group B fixtures in Equatorial Guinea’s north-east town of Ebebiyin, I hope the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) is equal to the challenge to ensure the Chipolopolo is well prepared for the assignments.
Firstly, FAZ should ensure that it familiarise itself with the conditions of Ebebiyin which borders Cameroon and Gabon. I believe this is the time to send someone to Ebebiyin and check the accommodation and training facilities.
We don’t want a recurrence of what transpired in Equatorial Guinea in 2012 when the Chipolopolo were forced to dump a sub-standard Hotel Carmeni in Bata because we didn’t have prior information about the accommodation facilities.
I vividly remember in Bata when it was discovered that the hotel had dry taps after coming from a morning work-out just 24 hours after jetting into Equatorial Guinea.
On the day the Chipolopolo checked into Hotel Carmeni, some rats were seen criss-crossing freely the dining room while the Zambian contingent was having supper.
Then coach Herve Renard bitterly complained of the sub-standard hotel until the AFCON organisers intervened and booked the team into a more suitable hotel a few minutes drive from Carmeni.
So these are the issues FAZ and the powers that be need to avoid this time around to ensure the team was not distracted in any way.
I also hope FAZ will organise some quality friendly matches especially with fellow AFCON-bound teams to help prepare the Chipolopolo for the gigantic task ahead.
Coach Honour Janza needs to camp the team early enough and it is good that 24 local-based players will be heading into camp from December 14 to 23 to kick-start the whole training process.
With the current rebuilding process of the squad, it is my prayer that Janza will only recall experienced players who can add value to the team and not those whose careers are almost hitting the end button.
I wish the Chipolopolo the best of luck and hope the 2012 vibe in Equatorial Guinea which helped Zambia bag a historic AFCON championship will be with the team again.
*************
During the past week, it was also pleasing to see the commissioning of a first-ever golf academy in Zambia.
Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) partnered with MTN Zambia to put together K800,000 for the establishment of what is now called the MTN/Mopani Golf Academy at Nkana Golf Club in Kitwe.
This initiative if successful will help in jacking up the golfing standards in Zambia and probably local players can also begin to compete favourably against foreign golfers for major international competitions.
For comments email:malungaf@gmail.com