FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF ZAMBIA PRESIDENT SAYS ZAMBIA WILL GO BACK TO THE TOP OF THE AFRICAN GAME

Football Association of Zambia President Andrew Kamanga says returning to the summit of the African game would be his priority should he be re-elected next month.

“We need to make FAZ financially independent, go back to the Africa Cup in 2021 and go to the World Cup in 2022,” he said.

Speaking when he featured on Hot FM’s Hot Breakfast Show, Kamanga said his executive had laid a strong foundation despite not having qualified to the Africa Cup of Nations.

“Since we came into office we have won the Cosafa under-20 twice in 2016 and 2019, we have won the Cosafa under-17 twice in 2017 and 2019 this is a team that had never had never won Cosafa before. For the senior team, we won Cosafa in 2019 and before that we were in the final in 2017 and 2018,” Kamanga said.

“We qualified for the CHAN in 2018 and reached the quarterfinal and in 2020 we have qualified we are participating from April 4-25.”

He added: “If you look at what we have done, we have been able to win cups and invest in development and we have built from the bottom. I think where we are, we are strong enough to compete and be able to go back to the Africa Cup. I can tell you with the generation of players we should be able to raise our hand and fight for that maiden appearance at the World Cup.”

Kamanga observed that with the recruitment of a new Chipolopolo coach, Zambia could turn a corner and revive its 2021 AFCON campaign.

“Remember that we have still got four games to go, we have two games back-to-back with Botswana on March 26 and 31. If we succeed in those two games we are back in contention, this is a tournament, it is not a one off game which ends,” he said.

“Why we are very confident is that we have brought in a coach who is very experienced, he has been on the African continent for the last 20 years. He took Uganda to the Africa Cup for the first time after 38 years.”

Kamanga added that his executive had empowered lower division clubs with equipment from 2017 as part of the development of the game.

FAZ will go to the polls next month to elect new office bearers.

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