Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) President Andrew Kamanga has thanked the Government and the fans for their respective roles in Saturday’s AFCON qualifier draw against Comoros.
Kamanga thanked the Government for their support to Chipolopolo in his weekly update, President’s corner.
The FAZ Supremo was also quick to thank the fans for giving the Chipolopolo Boys an extra push.
“There is so much going on in our game that sometimes it is hard not to be overly optimistic about the future. Lest we get ahead of ourselves, let us delve into the big-ticket item for the previous week which was the Chipolopolo outing in Moroni. Thanks to the government for the support towards the Chipolopolo which has helped sustain the momentum for success. We also wish to pay tribute to the fans both at home and those that travelled with us to Comoros for giving the team an extra push,” Kamanga wrote.
Kamanga went on to heap praise of the players and the technical bench for their hard work to make sure qualification to the continental showpiece was realised.
Kamanga went on to hint about adequate preparations for the AFCON including two international friendly matches in October for the Chipolopolo Boys.
“We also have to take cognisance of the efforts of the players and technical bench their tireless efforts to realise the target of AFCON qualification. We were happy to conclude the campaign as table toppers although beyond this point, it will be more important to make the qualification count. In our usual prudent style, we will ensure that the Chipolopolo are adequately prepared for the Africa Cup of Nations which kicks off in January.
“We have directed the technical bench to draw up a program for the AFCON preparations that will be shared with key stakeholders like the government. A tentative program has already been availed to the key stakeholders and is being refined. We will never tire from ensuring that our teams are afforded quality preparations for international tournaments. We are conscious that the Chipolopolo have FIFA World Cup qualifiers coming up in November and have as always lined up friendly matches prior to the November matches against Congo Brazzaville and Niger.”
“As FAZ we have lined up two international friendly matches during the October FIFA window whose details we will unveil in due course. We believe that keeping our team fully engaged will help the technical bench maintain its competitiveness,” he added.
Zambia ended their successful Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign with a 1-1 draw away to Comoros at the Malouzini Omnisports Stadium in Moroni on Saturday night.
Chipolopolo fought back from a goal down to salvage a point and end top of Group H ahead of fellow qualifiers Ivory Coast, with Patson Dakas second-half equaliser cancelling out Benjaloud Youssoufs opener on the stroke of halftime.
