ZAMBIA coach Herve Renard says his players have come of age and will perform well at the African Nations Cup finals in Angola.
Renard said his belief in the ability of his players has not diminished despite the rocky road that saw the team score only two goals on their way to Angola.
“Maybe others have lost hope in the team but I have always believed in my squad for a long time and I have set targets for myself,” Renard said at the conclusion of the team’s training camp in Johannesburg on Saturday.
He said his team is becoming more efficient in front of goal as seen in friendly matches against Mozambique, Nigeria and South Korea.
Zambia edged Mozambique 1-0 through Collins Mbesuma’s goal, held Nigeria to a barren draw before humiliating South Korea 4-2 with Felix Katongo, Rainford Kalaba, James Chamanga and Noah Chivuta hitting the target.
The Frenchman reiterated that his modest target is to reach the quarter-finals after which he will take each stage as it comes.
He said the opening game against Tunisia on Wednesday is very important because it will give him some direction.
“The game against Tunisia must be won and then the rest are a matter of philosophy,” Renard said.
He could not state whether Zambia have the capacity to beat Tunisia but he said his boys must overcome the Carthage Eagles to have any realistic chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.
“Tunisia are just like Egypt and I know their coach (Faouzi Benzarti) very well. He is a good coach but we will see what happens,” Renard said.
He acknowledged that Cameroon are very strong and that Zambia will have to give the match their best shot.
Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Kalusha Bwalya said going by the performance during friendly games, there is reason to believe that the outing will be fairly good.
“Again,” Kalusha said, “it was a Zambia well-co-ordinated. They were very good in-between the lines. Goals were well-executed and had the match well in control.
“It was a final preparatory match well worth the camping in South Africa,” Kalusha said of the match against South Korea on Saturday.
Skipper Christopher Katongo said the Chipolopolo were going to Angola to compete and not to participate.
Katongo, who plays his trade for German second division side Arminia Bielefeld, said the Zambians know what they want to achieve.
Portugal-based midfielder Rainford Kalaba urged Zambians to believe in the national team.
“It is high time people believed in us. We were eliminated in the first round twice in 2006 and 2008 and we learnt lessons. We now want to go a step,” Kalaba said.
Goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene said he is looking forward to keeping a clean sheet at the tournament.
Netherlands-based striker Jacob Mulenga said Zambia is not intimidated facing four-time champions Cameroon, 2004 kings Tunisia and Gabon.
Mulenga, who has scored five goals at Dutch side FC Utrecht, said with self-belief and determination, the three teams are beatable.
The Zambian team arrived in Angola yesterday and will face Tunisia on Wednesday.
Zambia Daily Mail
Masewera! You will be booted out in the first round. No trust in you guys anymore. Footbal pa ZED yalipwa nomba. These are just stories. Football is goals, without goals you can not win. Who will provide those goals in the Zambian side (The Blanks!) -No one.
All things are possible.Let us have faith in our national team and let us give them all the support they need.Go Chipolopolo boys.Yes you can!!!
ok ba Herve ba boss we are waiting its only tomorow. you better keep your word frenchman
lets hope ifyo baleboosa fikachitika,ladies & gentlemen natubasapote ba Zambia ,(INAMA IFWA KUMUSHI).Elyo ngabalusa first game ninshi banyela kumasamba bapubafu.lets go zambia lets go……
Good so far. Now lets deliver unfortunately in Africa it takes consistency for a team to be trusted. Its only in Europe where fans believe in a team despite consistent defeats. The thing is there is so much negativity in Africa all around so for you to attract a crowd you must show some positivity. Otherwise if you are losing you just add to the problems faced by a common man, so he would rather hunt for the next meal than to add depression to his already difficult life.
Our Dear Chipolopolo
Let me start by wishing you all a very happy and prosperous New Year. Let this be the year that marks a significant and positive change in fortunes for all of you. I have followed each and every Africa Cup our National Team has participated in from the time they were the KK 11 to the Chipolopolo or is it Chipantepante?
I remember how we could literally make our own line up in the streets before Dennis Liwewe could hit the air waves with one and it was always very close because we knew our players very well. The truth is that we always hoped that our team would one day win the Africa Cup. There was greater spur to excel although even a semi final berth was a great achievement. Show us you are really the Bullet, Chipolopolo and not Ba Chipantepante.
Zambians should have been the ones that were shot at by rebels so they can leave AFCON in peace.
Lets just wait and see! Zambia has a tendency of performing well especially with little or no support! But my humble appeal to Lunatic supporters is pliz stay away from the TV lest you die of BP!
Compete indeed! Yes do not just participate. Wish you all the best, Goal Chipolopolo!
#7 keyser soze uli chipuba ,kolwe wampili,mulala kwachenama pubafu lyobe.umwana ,mwana nangu chipuba,chipuba chobe.Your mind is dead you do not think that way or say something like that chatile chobe.
Zambia should learn a thing or two from yesterdays game btn Angola & Mali,the game is not over until the final whistle.One problem that Zambia has is after they do well in 1 game they get complacent in the next 1,with hard work,determination & consistency we can make it.Good luck guys…
too bad most zambians may not watch afcon because znbc has failed to raise the required 5.6bn
Number 7 you ulichipubasana, how can u wish for a tragedy to happen to your friends, dont you think that they have families too. if you think that zambia is not a good team, then just stop supporting them than wishing them bad lucky
HR stop dreaming about just getting to the quater finalz and phsyc the boiz to perform better through out every stage of the gamez. And I hope you have put in black and white (and communicated) what the playerz are expected to get and when, in termz of money. We don’t want surprizez or indeed financial scandlez! All the best boyz.
f**** #7 LT don’t encourage such chaps to air thier wicked views.This is a proper satanist pipo how can you wish your own blood to perish in the expense of your selfish motive bastard.
No7 you are satanist and you should just concentrate on your sorcery than supporting the Chipolopolo. Even if the team is inconsistent or unpredictable we do not wish them dead! Uli chipumbu…
Im only hoping for the best, we will be with you chipolopolo guys. Pl……se try your best and make us prould. I love you all
# 7 u are insane, if u have nothing better to say just shut your F*****king big mouth.
# 7 besides being footballers, these guys have families, wives and kids. how can you wish death on your fellow Zambians. Football is only a game. At the end of the day these people are humans just like you and me. May the good Almighty protect our brothers in Angola, give them the strength to go 1 better even further. We are behind you Chipolopolo may God Bless Zambia
iwe KEYSER SOSWE # 7 wa lipena, this is the only national team we have ngabafwa uka fwaila po bambi. makaka lyobe
#7 you are so f***** up,i think you are the one who shot the Togo bus!!,if you don’t like our boyz then go to Iraq,Afghanistan or Sudan where they are shooting each other and enjoy the shooting,leave our inconsistent boyz alone!!!
The national team badly needs everyone’s support and the government must take the lead. I was amazed last night when watching the Angola/ Mali match to see the magnificent stadium and for a moment I thought it was somewhere in Europe. That stadium is a morale booster and motivation to the Angolan team and clearly their government is solidly behind them. Zambia attained independence long before Angola which was a war-torn country but now they are far more advanced than ‘Peaceful’ Zambia. Currently there are serious problems facing the team, Shoddy FAZ leadership, non-existant GRZ financial support and poor infrastructure. Without these Chipolopolo success will just be a pipe dream while we are busy working for South Africa.
I ‘ve being watching the AFRICA CUP , I must that the Angolan President has a very attractive wife. I would like to invite the president and his wife for dinner , if they ever come here to South Africa. I like to wine and dine. we can be friends.
Keyser Soze, may you be sodomized by a retarded midget. maybe then you have more sense
Iwe # 7 you are a stupid,foolish ***** how can you wish our brothers such a bad thing?doesnt make you feel great to see other people in pain or in sorrow?if you dont like our boys go and hang yourself **** you.
All the best to Chipolopolo after a successful training camp. You must now satisfy the nation for availing the best training programme by giving us positive results. Gone are the days of big nations. We must advance to second round this time around. I like the motivation of the boys and our young coach.
GO ZAMBIA GO!!!!!
I will be watching them. Will be happy if they do it. But I won’t be expecting much. We used to aim to win and now we are expecting just to go to the semis where Egypt will give us another beating.
In fact quarters.
Its times like this i wish we were Mali!
#21, We are admiring the stadiums in Angola forgetting that there is a bitter debate in Angola whether those stadiums were a real priority and what the opportunity cost of those stadiums was. Secondly we are forgetting that despite the stadiums, Togo has gone back home with three (3) coffins and four stretchers for the wounded. PLease don’t laugh at our peace. Peace and freedom are number one. Those arethe values which will give us the advancement we all desire. Short cuts are dangerous. By the way the stadium in Ndola is already going up and Independence stadium is being rebuilt. We must have faith in ourselves as Zambians. Our democracy is far more advanced than Angola and that is a real asset.
#29, i agree with you. There will never be any substitute for peace. No matter how many stadiums you build. Without it, they can all come crumbling down. Lets not take peace for granted!
# 28 you can be malian any time you want. no one is stopping you
#31 , Ibange libi, YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY. Please add that the rest of us will remain Zambian. Let him/ her go alone to Mali.
#31, I would prefer tuli abengi!
#7 yaba ichipato nge cha kwa kolwe. How can you say a thing like that. Bati wa dabwisha mune we Ndoshi we. How I wish someone can shoot you in your stupid head. Animal
Keyser Soze is inhuman apart from being unzambian! I only want to agree with all the comments directed at you albeit, unpalatable as they may be, you started the fire. I am sure there are so many other bloggers who may not give Zambia a chance, but the least they can do is wish them dead! I guess your memory is so short that you can forget so easily that we have lost an entire team before. I guess you are nothing but a twit, an imbecile! Am sorry I have been left without choice but to express myself as such! Ulindoshi. And when the tables are turned upside down, you will the one shouting the loudest! I thought was Kalu was the looney one not to give his boys good luck if he knew they may not be at their best, but you are worse. Kalusha has almost turned round by sayin that there is hope!
Abena Keyser Soze! Awe bane, waya sana boyi. There are no words to express just how revolting your thinking is! tawakwata amano iwe. Uli c.h.ipuba! Do us a favour and transfer those feelings towards your own family.
Chi number 7 iwe!!! What hole are you emerging from? What kind of words are those? Even if it wasn’t Zambia on that bus the incident is definitely nothing to smile about, let alone refer to it that way! Ask for forgiveness. NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
malawi 2 Algeria 0
As a Zambian,I have just to support my National team No matter what happens,I urge my fellow Zambians not over expect but accept Results as they come don’t bet, you can die,I wish my National Team and Zambia good Luck,God Bless the boys
Thankyou
#38, Good result for Southern Africa. Naipwa bushe?
Game is still on my no 40 brother. It’s now 3 – 0!!!
its 3 zero now
Anyone interested in seeing the game on the net? Want the web site?
#43 chileshe just go to livescore.com
Lokombwe, I mean live pictures of the game!!
Game over!!!
You see no 7! Anything can happens in football! Am sure you eating your own words now ang getting choked. Who ever thought Malawi can beat Algeris 3bar! If The Flames did it, why can’t Zambia did It!Lolo. Go Chipooloopooloo!! Keyser Soze asebane!
If you have Sky Satellite TV you can watch all the games on Eurosport Ch 412 HD.
hi i wish the best luck to every one at this special event and i hope that will see a very entertaining game of football and to show the rest of the world that africa is changing to the best i hope the game will past peacefly trouble free (in shaa allah)
thanks for that number 48 i was wondering how to watch the games cheers
Ok am officially giving zambia my full support despite the recent poor performance.we can still rise & show the rest of the world that the mighty eagle,the copper bulet,chipolopolo can once again again be in contention. Elo iwe chi #7 iwe chi ch***la ure very kutumpa! Shame on u,r u even human!
Good luck Zambia!!
Egypt 1, Nigeria 1 – Half time
what time is the Zambian game
Good luck to the zambia national soccer team.Commitment and seriousness is the only medicine..Best wishes!!!
number 54,the game is 20:30 zambian time.