SO the draws for the Gabon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals have been conducted and yet the Chipolopolo, who are in a seemingly easy group, are still without a ‘qualified’ coach ahead of the June qualifiers.
Zambia has been pitted against Congo Brazzaville, Kenya and little-known Guinea Bissau in Group E.
With only the top team expected to qualify from the group, the onus will be on the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) to ensure a repeat of the 2015 AFCON qualifiers does not happen.
It is an open secret that the Chipolopolo struggled during those qualifiers, finishing second to Cape Verde before having a disastrous outing in Equatorial Guinea where the team failed to win a match.
But there is serious need to look at what has befallen Zambian football barely three years after winning the AFCON title in Libreville. Zambian soccer has taken a speedy downfall and needs surgery if the Chipolopolo are to start competing with the continent’s big guns.
The performance of the Zambian clubs in the 2015 CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup speaks volume of the many problems our football is facing and these are issues that councillors should have been focusing on during the annual general meeting (AGM) and not motions to restrict which people should contest the presidency or how much a candidate should pay.
Veteran sports administrators, Simataa Simataa and Moses Kabaila have expressed diverse views on how best Zambian football can be redeemed but one point that came out from the two was the need to strengthen and make the league more competitive.
The Zambian league does not attract foreign coaches or players, who are regulars with their respective countries, as is the case with leagues in Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana including embattled Zimbabwe.
Infrastructure development remains one of the biggest challenges if the country is to change its calendar to be in line with the FIFA/CAF schedule to avoid a situation where local clubs are caught still in off season when the continental tournaments get into full swing.
De-linking the league from the association is something that needs to be considered to ensure that the Premier league runs professionally and independently from FAZ as is the case worldwide. Though others still argue Zambia has not yet reached that level.
Investing in youth programmes will remain essential in tapping talent at the grassroots to help bridge the gap with the old Chipolopolo ‘madalas’ so that we can be having a smooth transition from the Under-17 right to the senior team.
Sponsorship must be found for these teams so that they can get the necessary exposure which should be helpful when competing at the continental tournaments.
So as we prepare for the 2017 AFCON qualifiers, FAZ should ensure their preferred foreign coach is appointed on time so that he can avail his programme on time and get to know the players unlike picking them based on a computer list.
These qualifiers look simple and easy on paper but playing unknown sides is a much difficult task. The coach should come in immediately and start watching local players in the league so that he can have a variety of players to pick from.
It is sad that we shall have a different coach for the COSAFA Senior Challenge in May, who will have some players at his disposal to pick for the main team but would not be able to do so.
FAZ should be as transparent as possible when engaging a new coach and entertain diverse views from various stakeholders.
Good luck to the Zambia under-23 soccer team as they face Nigeria in a winner-takes-it- all match for a place at the Congo Brazzaville 2015 All Africa Games finals in September.
Best wishes to the Shepolopolo as they face the huge Mount Kilimanjaro task of scoring three unanswered goals past their hosts Tanzania to seal a place at the AAG finals.
Till next week, let’s keep interactive on elias.chipepo@times.co.zm or eliaschipepo@gmail.com