• THE Zesco United squad arrived in the country yesterday after their first round exit from the CAF Champions League at the hands of Guinea side, AS Kaloum in Bamako on Sunday. The Ndola outfit will now shift focus on defending the MTN-FAZ super league title. Above: Zesco players on arrival at Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola. Picture by MOSES CHIMFWEMBE

By MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –

ZAMBIA has been handed a seemingly fair draw in the Gabon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers that kick off during the weekend of June 8-16
During the draws conducted at the CAF headquarters in Cairo yesterday, the 2012 champions were pitted in group E together with 2015 quarter finalists Congo Brazzaville, Kenya and Guinea Bissau.
Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Kalusha Bwalya described the draw as tough.
“Yes it’s a tough draw especially that we will start this year and finish next year, so each game will be crucial. All the opponents have made major strides in last years. We have to be alert not to be surprised,” he said.
Kalusha said from Cairo that Zambia has an obligation to qualify to the AFCON tournament and maintain its record. He said qualifying for the AFCON finals will be important especially with the Russia 2018 World Cup in the horizon.
The 52 countries were divided into 13 groups of four teams with the top countries at the end of the qualifying stage clinching automatic spots at the AFCON finals in Gabon.
The 13 countries will join Gabon and will be joined by the two best runner-ups from the various groups except Group I where the hosts are in.
The games for Gabon who have been drawn along with defending champions Ivory Coast, Sudan and Sierra Leone will not be computed for points as they shall be counted as friendlies.
CAF stated that if any group is left with only three teams due to the pull out of one team, the group will not be considered when determining the best second team for qualification as best losers.
Meanwhile, striker Emmanuel Mayuka will come up against his Southampton team-mate Victor Wanyama when Zambia plays Kenya. The first round of matches will be played on June 12-14 and second round is set for September 4-6.
Zambia last played Kenya in 1999 during the AFCON qualifiers winning 1-0 both home and away and a similar result was recorded at the 1990 AFCON finals where Zambia won the Group B match.
The Chipolopolo played Congo in the 2004 during the FIFA 2006 World Cup qualifiers winning 3-2 away and 2-0 at home while it will be the first meeting between Zambia and Guinea Bissau.
While the Chipolopolo are favourites to win the group but they face a potential threat from Congo, who were a surprise package at the 2015 edition under coach Claude LeRoy, who guided them to the round of eight finish.
Kenya have not qualified for the continental football showpiece since making an appearance at the 2004 tournament where they suffered first round elimination while Guinea Bissau will be seeking their first appearance at the AFCON tournament.
Gabon 2017 AFCON Full draw: Group A: Tunisia, Togo, Liberia, Djibouti. Group B: Madagascar, DRC, Angola, CAR. Group C: Mali, Equatorial Guinea, Benin, South Sudan. Group D: Burkina Faso, Uganda, Botswana, Comoros.Group E: Zambia, Congo, Kenya, Guinea Bissau. Group F: Cape Verde, Morocco, Libya, Sao Tome.
Group G: Nigeria, Egypt, Tanzania, Chad. Group H: Ghana, Mozambique, Rwanda, Mauritius. Group I: Ivory Coast, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Gabon. Group J: Algeria, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Seychelles. Group K: Senegal, Niger, Nambia, Burundi. Group L: Guinea, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Swaziland. Group M: Cameroon, South Africa, Gambia, Mauritania