THE
Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) is lining up an international
friendly match against Tanzania on December 23 to gauge the readiness of
the Chipolopolo before launching the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)
title defence in South Africa next year.
Zambia, eager to retain the coveted trophy at the 2013 AFCON finals,
will undergo an intensive training programme and the team’s preparedness
will be tested in four tough friendly games.
With January 12 already set aside for a high-profile match against
Norway at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola, the Chipolopolo will
kick-off their pre-AFCON friendlies against the East African side at a
venue to be named later after consultations are concluded.
According to FAZ sources, the Chipolopolo will also play two more
preparatory games whose opponents are yet to be confirmed before giving
local fans a mouth-watering farewell match against Norway in January.
The source also said that the association was determined to ensure the
African champions were battle-ready for the 2013 AFCON finals and that
the match against Tanzania would help the team especially that the Taifa
Stars have played so many times with Zambia’s AFCON opponents,
Ethiopia.
FAZ assured the Zambians that the Chipolopolo would be ready for the
opening January 21 clash against 1962 winners, Ethiopia in this Group C
match set for Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
The association appealed to the local football enthusiasts to rally
behind the team and turn up in numbers to cheer the squad in South
Africa from the first match.
The source said the Nelson Mandela Challenge against South Africa last
Wednesday which the Chipolopolo won courtesy of a Collins Mbesuma
strike, gave coach Herve Renard pointer of his AFCON squad.
From the 2012 AFCON winning squad only star midfielder, Rainford Kalaba missed the Bafana Bafana clash due to injury.
The Chipolopolo medical team has already tailored a programme for Kalaba
to help him heal completely with FAZ stressing that the nimble-footed
player will not be rushed into action until he reaches his maximum
potential.
However, the Chipolopolo’s preliminary preparations will be a 10-day
intensive training camp specifically for the local-based players, giving
them an opportunity to stake their claim for a place in the AFCON
squad.
After the initial India trip fell through, FAZ are now hoping to send
the squad to Aspire Academy in Qatar with Milpark in South Africa being
the other alternative if the journey to the Gulf flops.
On the facilities allocated to Zambia during the AFCON in Nelspruit, the
source said the four-star Protea Hotel, complete with all necessary
training facilities was a fantastic place for the Chipolopolo to plot
their rise to the top again.
The Chipolopolo will be training at Ka Nyamazane Stadium within
Nelspruit. Zambia is the top seed of Group C which also comprises
two-time winners, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.
