• Mweene

From FELIX MALUNGA –

In Malabo
CHIPOLOPOLO first-choice goalkeeper, Kennedy Mweene has vowed not to retire from international football any time soon and believes he still has a lot more to offer to Zambia.
Mweene said his legs were still fresh and could allow him to play at least two more Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournaments for Zambia.
Speaking in an interview in the wake of Zambia’s elimination from the 2015 AFCON, Mweene said he would continue playing for the Chipolopolo as long as his legs were still okay because it would be premature for him to hang his boots at 30.
“I think my legs are still fresh and will still allow me to play. So I will play as long as my legs are still okay. For me, I think I don’t look at retiring soon, it’s too soon for me.
It is premature for me to say I have retired from international football at the age of 30. I think I still have more years to play with the national team. I know some of them (journalists) were expecting me to say I am going to retire but no, not now. I won’t retire now. I still have a couple of years and even like two or three AFCONs to go,” he said.
Mweene said this after the Chipolopolo failed to qualify for the 2015 AFCON knockout stage after finishing bottom of Group B with two points.
On Zambia’s elimination, Mweene said what killed the 2012 AFCON champions was lack of experience despite the Chipolopolo being endowed with abundant talent.
“We have the players. It’s just the experience we are lacking. We’ve got a lot of young players,” the 2012 AFCON-winning goalkeeper said.
Defender Davies Nkausu said having more new players in the squad could not be used as an excuse for the Chipolopolo’s failure to reach the quarter-finals.
The South Africa-based defender said Zambia’s undoing was the team’s failure to beat Tunisia after leading 1-0 for a long time.
He believed the Chipolopolo could have won against the Carthage Eagles as the team dominated the 2004 AFCON champions, who with DR Congo sailed through to the last eight.
Nkausu, who was part of the 2012 AFCON golden generation, said the reality of football was that a wasteful team cannot win games.
“For me what killed us is the game against Tunisia. We should have won that game. We missed a lot of chances and if you don’t score goals, you don’t win games,” he said.
The 29-year-old Bloemfontein Celtic defender, however, said the Chipolopolo needed to continue working hard and was hopeful the old and new players would gel before the start of the 2017 AFCON and 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
“We should just build up from here. The qualifiers are coming- the AFCON and World Cup qualifiers and hopefully the team will gel in together,” Nkausu said.
The team, that was eliminated from the 2015 AFCON after drawing twice and losing once, arrives back home today.