. Janza
By FELIX MALUNGA –
CHIPOLOPOLO coach Honour Janza has given skipper Stoppila Sunzu and two others up to tomorrow to report to camp in South Africa or risk being dropped from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad.
Sunzu, who last weekend signed a three-year contract with Chinese side Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, with the Israel-based duo of left back Emmanuel Mbola and striker Evans Kangwa are the only ones still missing at the team’s training camp in Johannesburg.
Janza told MTNFootball.com that the technical bench would have to make some decisions regarding the trio’s participation at the AFCON this month if they fail to link up with the rest of the team tomorrow.
He said the technical staff wanted to assess the players during Sunday’s international friendly match against South Africa before naming the final 23-man squad for the trip to Equatorial Guinea.
“If the three miss the friendly then it will be tricky to assess them and include them in the final team.The technical bench will have to make some decisions regarding their participation but we wait and see,” Janza told MTNFootball.com.
The Chipolopolo concluded the first week of extensive training in South Africa which will culminate into a friendly match against Bafana Bafana on Sunday at Orlando Stadium.
Janza’s men are expected back in Zambia on January 10 before heading to Equatorial Guinea ahead of the AFCON kick off on January 17.
Meanwhile, Janza said he was pleased with the input from the players since the Chipolopolo shifted its pre-AFCON training camp to South Africa on December 26.
Janza named a 27-man provisional squad which will be trimmed to the final 23 for the AFCON.
He said he would have a headache to pick the final 23 players to do battle for Zambia at the 30th edition of the AFCON.
“Selecting the final 23 players will not be much of a headache because they are performing well. It would have been a challenge if they were playing below par but they are determined and fighting for places, which is a good thing,” Janza told MTNFootball.
Zambia is in Group B with DR Congo, Tunisia and Cape Verde at the AFCON.
