Herve Renard

ZAMBIA soccer team coach Herve Renard has said locally based players need to show more desire when given a chance to feature for the Chipolopolo international friendly matches.

And Renard, despite Zambia’s 0-1 loss to Tanzania at the weekend, says his team was shaping well for the challenging task of defending the Africa Cup of Nations trophy that starts in South Africa next month.

Speaking at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport upon arrival from Tanzania where a hoard of local players were given the last chance to impress prior to him naming his AFCON provisional squad, Renard said local players have not shown the hunger when given an opportunity to showcase their skills.

“Local players need to be hungrier when given a chance at the senior national team.

“Whenever we travel with local players we have problems, meaning we need to work a lot more with them but most importantly its them to make most of this opportunity to gain a place in this team,” he said.

Renard, who was voted 2012 Africa Coach of the Year, said some players like Mukuka Mulenga and Saulani Phiri including goalkeeper Joshua Titima have proved to be up to the task at hand.

That was the reason for naming them in his provisional list which would be trimmed down to 23 players, 10 days before the AFCON finals begin.

On the performance against Tanzania, Renard said it was a perfect game for him to see if some local players could get to play at the Africa Cup as well as assessing the fitness of other already established players.

Renard said Zambians need not to worry about the Tanzania game because apart from it being a practice match, there were up to 12 players that he would take to South Africa that were missing in the weekend defeat.

He expressed happiness with the progress of the training programme ahead of the Africa Cup saying the team will eventually be fit and good as the team he took to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon to win the Africa Cup earlier this year.

Renard said that his players’ fitness was still not up to scratch but that with three weeks of training before Africa Cup, they would be all fit for the tournament where Zambia is in Group C with Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Chipolopolo captain Chris Katongo, Isaac Chansa, and James Chamanga (all based in China) together with the TP Mazembe legion of Rainford Kalaba, Nathan Sinkala, Hichani Himoonde and Stoppila Sunzu were on off season going into the Tanzania friendly.

“But they will all be ready and in the same shape as they were in going into the last Africa Cup,” he said.

Times of Zambia

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Herve Renard

Napsa Stars, goalkeeper Kalililo Kakonje, who has seen less club action, is a shocking inclusion into the team that gets into the final pre-AFCON preparations on December 26.

According to the team list released yesterday, there are no major surprises from the team that Renard took to the 2012 AFCON finals, apart from the inclusion of Zambian Player-of-the-Year Mukuka Mulenga and Saulani Phiri.

Midfielder Clifford Mulenga, who was sent packing due to indiscipline at the AFCON, and defender, Nyambe Mulenga are the only two players missing from the squad that won the AFCON championship which was co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Mukuka Mulenga has had a wonderful 2012 soccer season campaign with Power Dynamos as same as Phiri, who won the Zambian league title with Zanaco.

The duo joined by goalkeeper Joshua Titima are the three local-based players heading to South Africa on Wednesday as the Chipolopolo preparations hit top gear.

Jacob , who has so far scored seven goals for his FC Utrecht side in the Dutch Eredivisie, makes a return having missed the last edition through injury.

He starred for the Chipolopolo at 2010 AFCON finals held in Angola where Zambia reached the quarter-finals.

But the former Afrisports player sustained an injury that kept him on the sidelines for eight months and only made his return to the squad in the Mandela Challenge against Bafana Bafana last month, playing an impressive 45 minutes.

Coming along with him is another striker that has hit top form in Collins Mbesuma, who despite being a member of the last AFCON winning team, had no influential role in the team.

This time, Mbesuma will be going to the continental championship in a more influential role and could actually command a starting place after rediscovering his form in the last five months.

But Kakonje’s call-up comes as a surprise after being relegated down the pecking order for both his club Napsa Stars and the national team where he was overtaken by both Joshua Titima and Danny Munyau, who has since been dropped despite playing 90 minutes against Tanzania.

In sticking with his promise of maintaining 80 per cent of the players that won him the AFCON title, Renard has retained faith in the three goalkeepers from the last competition.

Also going to South Africa after missing the last edition due to injury and a Confederation of African football (CAF) ban is Israel based midfielder William Njobvu and FC Porto’s Emmanuel Mbola respectively.

There is no room for TP Mazembe striker Given Singuluma, who snubbed Renard’s call-up when the team regrouped for the Tanzania friendly match last week.

Renard will before January 9 trim his squad to 23 in readiness for the opening Group C match against Ethiopia on January 21.

Zambia’s next assignment will be a crunch tie against two-time winners, Nigeria before wrapping up the group duties with a game against Burkina Faso.

The full list of players heading into the final AFCON preparations in South Africa has: Goalkeepers

- Kennedy Mweene (Free States Stars, South Africa), Joshua Titima (Power Dynamos) and Kalililo Kakonje (Napsa Stars).

Defenders:

Stoppila Sunzu, Hichani Himoonde, Francis Kasonde (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Davies Nkausu (Supersport United), Joseph Musonda (Golden Arrows),Chintu Kampamba (unattached), Salulani Phiri (Zanaco), Emmanuel Mbola (FC Porto).

Midfielders:

Rainford Kalaba, Nathan Sinkala (TP Mazembe, DR Congo), Mukuka Mulenga (Power Dynamos), Christopher Katongo, Isaac Chansa (Henan Jianje), Chisamba Lungu (Ural Oblast) , Felix Katongo(Petro Athletico, Angola), Noah Chivuta (Free States Stars, South Africa) and William, Njobvu (Hapoel Beer Sheba, Israel).

Strikers:

Emmanuel Mayuka (Southampton, England) Collins Mbesuma (Orlando Pirates, South Africa), Jacob Mulenga (Utrecht, Netherlands), James Chamanga (Liaojing Whowin, China), Jonas Sakuwaha (TP Mazembe, DR Congo) and Evans Kangwa (Nkana).

Times of Zambia

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Chipolopolo Zambia

Accra, Ghana:  Zambia were named Africa’s national football side of the year on Thursday at the Confederation of African Football awards, which also saw a series of honours going to Egypt.

Zambia’s narrow win over power-house Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations final earlier this year was the key achievement that moved judges to honour it as the continent’s top team.

The southern African nation beat out fellow nominees Ivory Coast and up-and-comer Cape Verde, coming off its best-ever season during which it qualified for the next edition of the Cup of Nations.

Zambia’s Coach Herve Renard, a Frenchman credited with playing a key role in improving the side, was named coach of the year at the ceremony in Ghana’s capital.

The award for the top women’s team went to Equatorial Guinea, which hosted and won the eighth African women’s championship.

It beat South Africa in the final, the side’s second title in a competition often dominated by Nigeria, which has won six times.

Equatorial Guinea’s Genoveva Anoman was honoured as the continent’s top female footballer, after scoring six goals in the tournament.

It was a night full of awards for Egypt, with Cairo-based Al-Ahly named as club of the year after securing its seventh CAF Champions League crown.

The club’s star Mohamed Abourtreika took home the award for the best player based in Africa.

Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, 23, was named the most promising emerging talent after scoring in three of four matches for his country’s under-23 side at the London Olympics.

Mahmoud El-Gohary provided the fourth Egyptian triumph of the night, winning a Legend award for a range of both club and national titles won during the 74-year-old’s long professional of career.

Rigobert Song, the defender from Cameroon, was also named an African football Legend, with the judges noting his two African championships.

SOURCE: ndtv

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Chipolopolo defender Stophilla Sunzu

Chipolopolo defender Stophilla Sunzu will sign for Reading, and not Arsenal, in a deal estimated at 3 million British pounds (approximately K26 billion).

Sources have reliably informed bolazambia that Sunzu will not undergo trials at Reading but will have to pass medicals before putting pen to paper.

The TP Mazembe star defender is expected to put pen to pen next week after which he will travel to South Africa to join Chipolopolo’s training camp.

Sunzu alongside Rainford Kalaba and coach Herve Renard are currently in Ghana for the CAF awards to be held on Thursday [today] night.

The former Afrisports defebder is favourite to win the Africa Footballer of the Year Award (continent-based players) at the Gala Ceremony.

Source: bolazambia

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Whisked away? Lionel Messi broke Gerd Muller’s official scoring record – but not Godfrey Chitalu’s

The Zambian FA is planning an official challenge to Lionel Messi’s astonishing record of 90 goals – and counting – in a calendar year, claiming the feat does not beat Godfrey Chitalu’s haul of 107 in 1972.

As the Barcelona forward continues to strive past Gerd Muller’s officially recognised 40-year-old record of 85 goals, Zaf chiefs are hoping to ratify the achievements of the Kabwe Warriors striker.

FIFA do not recognise Chitalu’s goals, but they say they have evidence to prove his scoring feat.

Faz spokesman Eric Mwanza told the BBC: ‘We want to make it very clear that it is not a question of authenticating, or trying to verify or see if he actually scored the goals – that is not in question.’

‘What is in question now is why has he not been recognised, and that is what we are looking at now.

‘We are sending communication to the Secretary General of Fifa, Mr Jerome Valcke, to look again into the matter of Godfrey Chitalu.’

Chitalu, who won Zambia’s player of the year award five times, went on to coach the national team and died alongside 29 others in the tragic plane crash in 1993 as the team travelled to a World Cup qualifier in Senegal.

source: dailymail.co.uk

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Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili

Government says it will soon start clearing land along Mongu – Lusaka road where the 20, 000 capacity ultra-modern stadium in Mongu in Western province will be constructed.

And The Provincial Minister Obvious Mwaliteta said the PF government has shown it commitment by embarking on various projects in the province.

Minister of Youth and Sport Chishimba Kambwili yesterday inspected the land and was impressed with the location of the land for the stadium.

He said the stadium is well located along the road so that people will be able to see it as they enter the town of Mongu which is the heard quarters of Western province.

ZANIS sports reprts that the minister, who visited the site for the first time, said his Ministry will next week supply the Rural Road Unity with fuel so that they can start clearing the bushes at a 50 hectares piece of land.

Kambwili noted that the land is big enough to accommodate all the infrastructures that go along with a modern stadium.

He said his government is serious on building an ultramodern stadium is a shortest possible time adding that by late next year should be completed.

He assured the people of Western province that the Patriotic Front government will ensure that it delivers on its promises adding that the stadium will be one of the many projects his government wants to implement.

The Minister visited the site in a company of his deputy Minister Mubukwanu, the Provincial Minister Obvious Mwaliteta, his Permanent Secretary and other provincial officers.

And The Provincial Minister Obvious Mwaliteta said the PF government has shown it commitment by embarking on various projects in the province.

ZANIS

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Stoppila Sunzu @ Backpagepix

Chipolopolo defender Stoppila Sunzu is set to join English Premier League side Arsenal after Zambia’s participation at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.

Sunzu told fazfootball.com on Monday that talks between Arsenal and TP Mazembe Chairman Moise Katumbi had reached an advanced stage.

“I will be travelling to England to sign a deal with Arsenal after the friendly game against Tanzania. As we speak, Mr Katumbi’s personal consultant Salomon Eskadela is here in Zambia waiting to travel with me to England,” said Sunzu.

“I don’t know the details of the deal yet because I have not discussed with both Arsenal and TP Mazembe. However I spoke to both Mr Katumbi and Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger who assured me that I would not be going to London for trials but to discuss personal terms and possibly sign a contract.”

Sunzu meteoric rise began when he represented Zambia at the 2007 Under-20 Fifa World Cup in Canada after which he was invited for trials at English Premier League side Reading but a move did not materialise due to work permit problems.

Before joining TP Mazembe in 2009, Sunzu had been on the books of Chateroux , Zanaco FC and Konkola Blades.

Sunzu is among the the most decorated players on the African Continent at the moment having won the Zambian Super League with Zanaco, the Congolese Super League, The CAF Champions League and the CAF Super Cup with TP Mazembe before he won the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia.

source; supersport

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Rehard

CHIPOLOPOLO coach Herve Renard has aforementioned option for the most effective player within the Confederation of African soccer (CAF) player-of-the-year award (based in Africa) has been a giant nightmare for him.

Two of the Chipolopolo winning team in defender Stopilla Sunzu and midfielder Rainford Kalaba along with Egyptian Mohammed Aboutrika area unit within the running for the CAF award with Renard needed to vote for one player.

“It has been powerful on behalf of me. It’s been a nightmare to selected United Nations agency i believe is that the best. however I can’t tell you United Nations agency I voted for as a result of if I say I voted for Kalaba, Stopilla are going to be sad with Pine Tree State and if I tell you I voted for Stopilla, Kalaba won\’t be happy ,” Renard aforementioned jokingly.

Renard is predicted to depart for Accra, Gold Coast for the GLO CAF awards ceremony along with Sunzu and Kalaba, with the Frenchwoman a transparent favorite to win the CAF coach of the year award.

He aforementioned it\’s been associate degree awkwardly tough selection for him to create as a result of the 2 players United Nations agency additionally hail from identical Afrisports soccer Club in Kitwe and taking part in for TP Mazembe area unit quite near him and work terribly laborious in coaching and for the team.

Renard was, however, happy that 2 African nationn players were competitory for such high honours in continent and was hopeful all the awards can come back to Zambia.

And the national association football team has continued  with its preparations prior the international friendly match against African country set for this weekend.

The team that regrouped on Friday and commenced its coaching session in Lusaka is predicted to depart for Dar-es-Salaam by Th. Renard, Kalaba and Sunzu can fly direct to African country when Thursday’s awards ceremony in Accra.

Renard aforementioned coaching was progressing well because the team still had concerning six weeks before the AFCON title defence starts in South Africa which the propaedeutic matches lined up would greatly facilitate the team.

Meanwhile, the soccer Association of African nation (FAZ) has expressed shock at the death of former Republic of Zimbabwe player Adam Ndlovu United Nations agency died during a road traffic accident that left his brother Peter during a important scenario in hospital.

In a statement free yesterday, FAZ exponent Erick Mwanza aforementioned “We were afraid yesterday (Sunday) as news of the horror automobile crash, within which former Republic of Zimbabwe international player Adam Ndlovu was killed whereas his younger brother Peter miraculously at large together with his life however remains in important condition in hospital.

The Ndlovu brothers were traveling to Victoria Falls for a social match, within which that they had been scheduled  to play for the Highlanders’ legends against a neighborhood facet, once Peter’s BMW X5 burst a front tyre, veered off the road and smashed into 3 wayside trees before landing during a ditch.

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Christopher Katongo has diplomatically slammed CAF after scooping the prestigious the 2012 BBC African Footballer of the Year award.

The 30-year-old Zambia captain beat off competition from Demba Ba, Didier Drogba, Younes Belhanda and Yaya Toure to become the first winner from southern Africa in the history of the award.

Katongo told BBC Sport: “This is a fantastic moment for me. I thank the people who voted for me. It is something I will never forget in my career.

“I did my best and the people have spoken – that’s the beauty of this award”

“This means a lot for the young people and the young players who look up to me. I could not have achieved this without the support of my team-mates.”

The shortlist for the award was drawn up by football experts from every country in Africa, who based their choices on players’ skill, technical ability, teamwork, consistency and fair play.

And a record number of people nominated their favourite online or by text message with just over 40% of the votes going to Katongo, who plays his club football in China for Henan Construction.

While all the players on the shortlist have enjoyed a superb year, with four of the players picking up silverware, it is Katongo whose performances and achievements have been considered by African football fans to be the greatest.

“I think the things that they (the fans) like about me is my discipline and that I am the kind of player who can fail one day but pull up his socks and keep going. I think that is why they voted for me,” added Katongo.

“To be among the top players who have won this award, I will go to sleep with a smile on my face.

“I did my best and the people have spoken. That’s the beauty of this award.”

Katongo, who is also a soldier in his home country, was inspirational as he led Zambia to their first Africa Cup of Nations title in February.

He scored three goals en route to the final of the tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon and then struck a successful penalty in an 8-7 shoot-out victory over favourites Ivory Coast to lift the trophy in Libreville.

It was an emotional moment for Zambia, who had suffered a tragic air disaster 19 years previously, when a plane carrying most of the national team crashed when only 500m offshore from Libreville, killing all 25 passengers and five crew.

Seven months after leading Zambia to glory Katongo was again his country’s talisman, this time in a 2013 Nations Cup qualifying tie when he scored the only goal of the game in his side’s final-round first leg match against Uganda.

And it proved to be a vital strike as Chipolopolo lost the return leg 1-0 but made it through to next year’s tournament in South Africa by winning 9-8 in another penalty shoot-out.

In between those Nations Cup heroics, Katongo also provided the spark that lifted Zambia out of a difficult phase in their 2014 World Cup qualification campaign.

Zambia suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Sudan in Khartoum in June – a result that remains in doubt while Sudan are being investigated for allegedly fielding an ineligible player – and they desperately needed a result against Ghana a week later.

Yet again it was Katongo who stepped up and scored the winner, putting his side’s campaign back on track.

And if Katongo can continue the form that has helped his country to new heights, as well as earning him individual recognition, he may well propel Zambia to the biggest stage of all in Brazil in 18 months’ time.

Tumfweko/BBC

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Chris Katongo

Chipolopolo captain Chris Katongo has won the BBC african football of the year award 2012, an impeccable BBC source has indicated and informed Tumfweko.

Sources informed Tumfweko that Skipper Christopher Katongo will this afternoon be presented with the BBC African Footballer of the Year Award.

Officials from BBC arrived in the country at the weekend to present the honour to Katongo at 18:00 hours Zambian time.

Katongo has beat four others who include Demba Ba of Senegal, Younes Belhanda of Morroco, Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure of Ivory Coast.

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