The Sunday Mail
Makomborero Mutimukulu in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
ZAMBIA are a far cry from the team that emotionally won the 2012 African Cup of Nations trophy.
However, as Chipolopolo start their Afcon campaign with a date against the Democratic Republic of Congo at the Nuevo Estadio Ebebyin in Bata tomorrow the team’s supporters have reason to believe.
The match kicks off at 6 pm Zimbabwean time and will be followed by the clash between Tunisia and Cape Verde at 9pm.
Football tournaments have a tendency of mocking ore-tournament predictions and the fact that very few expect Zambia to triumph here takes away the pressure from coach Honor Janza and his men.
The team’s erratic preparations and the Football Association of Zambia’s failure to offer Janza a contract ahead of the tournament, among other negatives, give the Chipolopolo Class of 2015 somewhere to point in the event that things go wrong.
Janza is also not amused that poor traveling arrangements saw his squad jetting into Ebebyin just 48 hours before the Group B opener.
With hot and humid temperatures obtaining here Chipolopolo will have to find ways of managing their energy against a better prepared DRC outfit.
Janza has opted for a mixture of youth and experience as he bids to land Zambia’s second Afcon gong.
Eight players from the squad that stunned Cote D’ Ivoire in the final three years ago have been retained while starlets such as Ronald Kampamba, Jackson Mwanza and Chisamba Lungu have been fused in.
Veterans Stopilla Sunzu, goalkeeper Kennedy Mwene and skipper Rainford Kalaba will anchor a side that is being placed in the dark horses category by bookmakers.
Despite his grumblings Janza looks determined to shame his critics and yesterday he got the public backing of FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya.
“These reports of the coach being unhappy are unsettling. I have always said coach Janza is doing a good job and we hope he can be there for a long time,” Bwalya, who was at hand to welcome the team when they arrived Friday afternoon, was quoted as saying by various publications.
DRC got here by virtue of being the best placed number three team.
Reports from their camp paint a picture of a team that will be content with making it to the knock out stages but that will take some effort as Group B also features Tunisia and heavy hitters Cape Verde.
There have been noises about bonuses from the DRC camp with coach Florent Ibenge hinting that all was not well in his camp.
“If you send a kid to school and you don’t pay for his uniform, for his school fees, for his meals, then it is a bit difficult to expect him to be top of the class.
“I don’t like to interfere. I leave the people in charge of that do their job and we will do our job,¨ the gaffer was quoted as saying.
Away from the money matters Ibenge is satisfied with the fitness levels his charges have reached as well as the way they have acclimatized having arrived in Ebibyin last Wednesday, a good 48 hours before Zambia touched down.
AS Vita forward Firmin Mubele admits that he is under pressure to perform soon after scooping the 2014 CAF African Based Player award.
“This award comes with a heavy responsibility and I need to work hard this week to be able to show the world at the Afcon that I deserved it,¨the 20 year old told Radio Okapi.
