ANOTHER first round elimination! Zambia must have the most visited drawing board in world football!
But the questions are; does Chipolopolo trainer Honour Janza still deserve a contract? Should the squad be maintained or should some players be dropped and experienced players brought back?
Did the inclusion of the Mexican comrade on the technical bench on the eve of the tournament add value and was he a necessary addition?
These are some of the issues that have come up after the Chipolopolo first round exit at the ongoing 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in Equatorial Guinea.
Several other questions have arisen since that embarrassing elimination after drawing with Cape Verde, a tiny Island nation with a population of about 500, 000.
So does Janza go?
A sombre decision has to be made by those directly concerned with the hiring and firing of coaches and in this case being the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) and Government who are the financiers.
Soccer analysts, veteran coaches and soccer fans have all expressed their views concerning the way forward of the team that Janza took to Ebebiyin.
In my view, first of all, the team was balanced but it lacked cohesion between the young and old guard as well as having a killer instinct.
Most importantly, lack of a leader was another major setback. With due respect to Rainford Kalaba, who is the captain, I think Kennedy Mweene could do well in that position.
I do not intend to demean Kalaba but leadership should be everywhere not just on the pitch. A leader should be a role model.
The team needs a team leader, someone who can lift them when down and not someone who disowns them in times of defeat.
For example, the comments Kalaba made when Zambia lost to Tunisia where he blamed his teammates instead of taking responsibility.
In case you missed the comments this is what he said and I quote; “I am shocked at the mentality of my colleagues especially after we scored. I have no comments to make because the Zambia I saw after scoring is not the Zambia I know.
I don’t know what was going on in my friend’s minds after we scored. I am really shocked and maybe we have to sit and discuss what is happening in camp.”
He was wrong because the statement had the potential to split the team and to some extent it was so demeaning to his colleagues especially debutants who could not absorb the pressure.
Coming back to Janza, I feel he should be awarded a contract and given a target of winning the 2017 edition because he will have all the time to start preparations and planning before the qualifiers start.
Janza deserves a contract but he should demand to have qualified and experienced assistant coaches alongside him. We have the likes of Wedson Nyirenda, George ‘Chicken’ Lwandamina and Fighton Simukonda among many.
With most of the players expected to take part in the Congo Brazzaville 2015 All Africa Games and Rio 2016 Olympic Games qualifiers, Africa Junior and Youth Championships, I can bet that the players would be exposed to play at high level tournaments like the AFCON in two years time.
For comments: eliaschipepo@gmail.com