. Kalusha

By MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –

FOOTBALL Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Kalusha Bwalya has said the country’s football governing body will not expose the Chipolopolo players to injuries with just a week left before the Equatorial Guinea 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) kicks off in Bata.
Zambia last Sunday warmed up for the AFCON with a 1-0 defeat in an international friendly match to South Africa in Johannesburg.
The friendly match left first choice goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene, Nathan Sinkala and Chisamba Lungu nursing minor injuries.
Zambia commence their AFCON Group B campaign with a date against the Leopards of Congo DR on Sunday in Ebibeyin before facing Tunisia and Cape Verde.
Kalusha said yesterday that with a week remaining before the tournament starts, it was imperative for FAZ to organise friendly games with teams that do not pose a threat to the players’ fitness.
“The main objective is to observe our own team in a match situation, one that does not endanger our players and risk injuries at this late stage. Please rest assured that the choice of teams is not made lightly but with thought, experience and technical know-how. One needs to look at our previous AFCON preparations, which were undertaken in the exact same manner,” Kalusha said.
The team is currently in South Africa where they are shaping up for the continental football showpiece.
Meanwhile, ex-national team midfielder Evans Sakala has expressed confidence that the front line in the Chipolopolo squad is capable of delivering positive results.
Coach Honour Janza has kept faith in 2012 AFCON winning striker Emmanuel Mayuka, Ronald ‘Sate Sate’ Kampamba, Jackson Mwanza, Given Singuluma, Evans Kangwa and Under-20 goal poacher Patrick Ngoma.
Sakala, who propelled Zambia to the final of the 1994 AFCON after scoring a solitary goal that sunk the Teranga Lions of Senegal, said in an interview that the attackers were strong enough to cause havoc on the opponents’ backlines.
“I think the combination of young and old players in the team is a perfect move and I am confident that the strikers he (Janza) has picked are good enough to produce goals. We have Jackson Mwanza, who was a top scorer in the league.
With the experience that Mayuka will bring and the skills of Kampamba, Kangwa and Ngoma, Zambia’s front line will be a force to be reckoned with,” he said.