By ELIAS CHIPEPO –

LUSEKELO Kamwambi has quit as Chipolopolo team manager barely three days before Zambia’s crucial must-win Gabon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group clash against Congo Brazzaville. Meanwhile, striker Winston Kalengo and goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene are stuck in Brazzaville and might join the team latest today. Lusekelo announced his resignation in a letter addressed to Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) general secretary but promised to assist in ensuring that all logistics concerning the game are put in place. “I was a delegate at yesterday’s (Saturday) elective FAZ annual general meeting. I am a die-hard supporter of the outgoing president of the Football Association of Zambia Mr Kalusha Bwalya. This is a position that is very well known to the incoming President of the association Mr Andrew Kamanga and his supporters,” he said Kamwambi said he has taken the decision to give the incoming executive freedom and latitude to perform their functions without having to ponder on what to do with him. “I therefore, resign from my position as team manager with immediate effect. I incurred an expense when releasing the players these past two weeks, which I will forward to your office for a refund,” he said. Kamwambi said his able assistant Stanley Kaseko will handle all matters pertaining to logistics of the team in camp and thanked FAZ for giving him the opportunity to serve the country. When pressed in an interview that his resignation was ill-timed looking at the upcoming fixture, Kamwambi said his resignation was done as a matter of principle especially that everyone knew his position. “I don’t want to pretend that things are okay, I don’t like to pretend. It’s a matter of principle and my assistant Kaseko will handle all logistics, but of course I will assist especially that we already started making arrangements,” he said. On players’ arrival, Lusekelo said efforts were being made to have Kalengo and Mweene join the team by at least today. He said that there were no flights out of Brazzaville owing to the presidential election in that country but that efforts to have the two jet into Zambia today were in progress. Mweene travelled to Brazzaville with his South African side Mamelodi Sundowns who had gone to play Kalengo’s team, AC Leopards in the CAF Champions League match that ended 1-all. Kamwambi expressed confidence that his resignation will not affect the mood of the players and the technical bench ahead of the twin AFCON qualifiers on Wednesday and Sunday. “The players are professionals who will come and put in their best and I do not think either of this will affect them,” he said.