Zambia heads to Maseru by road on Friday ahead of Sunday’s Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Group D qualifier against Lesotho.
The team is expected to leave on Friday afternoon for the approximately four-and-a-half hour drive down from Johannesburg on the team bus.
“I think that also that it is not far,” Faz president Kalusha Bwalya said.
“We have gone to Durban and other distances which are much further we will try and break the trip in two maybe because of the players.
“There is no point in the cost being high when you can be able to move to Maseru in this fashion. I think it is the best solution.”
Zambia has been in camp in South Africa since Sunday to prepare for their third Group D match.
Herve Renard’s side lead Group D on six points from two games.
Ghana is second on three points while Sudan and Lesotho have one point each in third and fourth positions respectively.
So Rupiah will be grilled again tomorrow dispite his supporters crying foul.. Go Zambia Go Zambia
No no no it will be maize to be grilles for the Chipolopolo stop overs. It is good for the boys to have some site viewing of both South Africa & Lesotho. If I was team manager I would offer them breaks every 30 minutes, to eat some nice Zulu snacks on the road side.
It shouldn’t always be about money, ama Zambian nabo most of the time are simply annoying.
After their pathetic showing at the AFCON 2013, I care less how they go about other activities in their football circles.
They could have walked as part of training.
@The Monitor it’s natural to expect our boys to be better acclamatised for Lusaka than Jo’burg, so, the comparison should be between their home and where they’ll be playing!
Good luck
I don’t want to go below, I may find Jay Jay, he watches FAZ official than players.`
Sheer waste of precious 4 hours which would have been used for training and acclimatising at the high attitude climate of Lesotho …maybe the FAZ top brass has shares in the coach company supplying the buses!!
*acclimatising to the high attitude
Which altitude are you talking about, You don’t need acclimatising in Maseru
Every national or club team needs acclimatising to a country before an international match especially in a town like Maseru which has a subtropical highland climate.
It is common knowledge that while Lusaka is at an ultitude of 1300m above sea level, Maseru is 1600m higher than sea level. So, those that know better how altititude relates to atmospheric pressure and its effect on our respiratory system will tell you that a 300m difference may justify a bit of acclamatisation. and by the way, that’s the reason is known as the MOUNTAIN KINGDOM.
SORRY; “….that’s the reason Lesotho is known as the MOUNTAIN KINGDOM..”
Well said @Wanu Ngwee – its amazing how some naïve bloggers due to their blind loyalties to the incompetent FAZ top brass are unable to debate issues hence incapable of asking probing questions like why opt for bus when you can fly. If only we could all see the bigger picture here as if we didn’t learn anything from the Gabon disaster.
Wanu Ngwee , why compare the atmospheric pressure between Lusaka and Maseru and not Maseru and Johannesburg? It would make much more sense.
Jay Jay, Gabon disaster was an air disaster not road, you can do well always to compare it to the Togo attack in Angola.
However, i agree with you that it would have been better to fly.
The Monitor
My issue is regarding the choice of transportation; the Gabon Disaster is also about the type of transportation and opting for cheap transport (Military plane) and putting player security and personal comfort in the back-seat.
I wonder what the players’ insurance companies would think about FAZ’s choice of transport as they are the ones that pay Muyuka’s wages when he is injured. You should look at the bigger picture football has evolved and is billion dollar business where the players are assets who are insured like your cars by their clubs. People in Zambia need to wake up!!
jay jay i wish i understood what kalu is trying to do. Honestly i dont
Maybe Kalu has put money on Lesotho to win what are bets on that at the betting shops in RSA?
Fumbi
I don’t blame you as you are not alone on this one maybe his gullible worshipping fans could put us in the loop why he is opting for road transport in preference to a 60 min flight..from experience I know they will call you “bitter and frustrated” and other unpalatables before they answer you!!
FYI the team will be playing on artificial turf at high attitude; now ask yourself this simple question which is paramount 4 1/2 hrs in a bus or 3 extra hours training on artificial turf and new climate?
I’m sure you have been never been to Maseru
I’m sure you clearly haven’t got a slightest clue what 4 1/2 hours on a bus can do to a player’s fitness levels; given that they have an important game within 48 hours.
Drive safely please. Police escort to ensure your safety is essential. Best of luck!!
I am waiting for them at Maseru bridge so that we give a huge Welcome to the mountain kingdom.
Our players a not fit, why didn’t they jog all the way to maseru?
You bet every Zambian Lozi will support Lesotho, like all Bembas usually support Kabongo Ngoi Mutubile’s Katangese thieves whenever Zambia plays ba sakala ba Zaire!
Ubupuba bubi.
Imwe Baiche . The team has the whole of Friday evening and the whole of Saturday to to recover a four hr road trip. All the players in the team are pro’s ( players playing soccer for a living every day ) they are all fit. Losing becuase of altitude are mere excuses at the end of the day.
They will have light trainning on Friday evening
and lossen up. This is a Kitwe Lusaka distance no fuss banb !!
site viewing relax your minds and sour its good for the team relaxed and listerning to good music in the ears
How safe is this road trip? Remember what happened to Togo in Angola 2010, & i don’t see us having any friends down South: we beat Bafana Bafana in the Mandela cup & we were stoned right in town, what can stop those ****** ambushing our boys on this trip in the wilderness? Kalu have & Eric thought about this seriously?
What matters most is that they reach Maseru and stay focused on the game on Sunday, i am behind you the copper bullets just fire the 23 gunshots and they will go down by 5 bullets to 0,go Zambia go go go go go go go go go go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Chipolopolo go go go go go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Walking would have been the cheapest, WASTING tax payers money!! Let them walk with impundu na musekesa mumatumba for ration….. no am joking guys..
Those saying acclimatizing should stop it. Dont even compare the maseru and Lusaka climates coz these players are not coming from Lusaka!!!!!!! Its from China, SA, England, Congo etc etc so pliz the game is on Sunday and there is enough time to rest…. Just win boys…….
Guys lets be realistic!
7 out of 22 players in our squad are home based. Mukuka Mulenga, Kennedy Mudenda, Racha Kola, Fackson Kapumbu, Roderick Kabwe, Bonewell Mwape and Joshua Titima all travel between the Copperbelt & beyond Lusaka for league games. BY ROAD. Worse roads, worse buses. No diss. Add Aaron Katebe from Zim league plus 3 from PSL, that’s 11/22. Yes PSL teams like Pirates cover same distance from Jozi to Durban for games. So lets not kid ourselves with this notion that Jozi-Maseru is too much a road trip for our team to cover. As for altitude – Keneddy Mweene lives in Bethlehem Free state, Mayuka lived in Switzerland both a mountainous places. Roderick Kabwe & Racha Kola just returned from Swaziland with Zanaco (another mountainous nation)! Lets quit the whining & win the…
Bebe tabomfwa
Is there an international airport in Lesotho?
For a team or person preparing for something or just loafing, saving 3 to 4 hrs is crucial. Johannesburg/Maseru is about 350 km & takes between 45 minutes to 1 hr by flight. Going by road obviously is good for FAZ officials’ pockets, not players. Why does each successful GOVT/FAZ regime like sacrificing players for their benefit? Chartering ZAF plane resulting into Gabon disaster, camping in RSA resulting into stoning of players on the pretext that there are better facilities there than in Zambia when they are available and the Euro Bond is still untouched. Acquire those facilities and let team have home ground and go out to play friendlies and cup games. FAZ, Kalusha & Chipolopolo are the only entities without home grounds in Africa. RSA is good for celebrating the win but not…
RSA is good for celebrating the win but not camping for preparation. This should have done when they won AFCON and they should have been taken to Capetown
Relax. You have no details of their trip. Ask them how there are going to manage the trip not just condemning them. Yes there is an International Airport in Maseru. However, before you reach Maseru you can pass through Bloemfontein ( Capital of Free State Province). Then you have 100kms into Maseru (Lusaka-Kabwe trip). Lets support them.
Good idea support blindly (like you always do) and ask probing questions after the match!!
Wake up!!
Hypocrites! I thought people were more inclined to be scared of air crashes than road accidents. Just because its chipolopolo the Kalusha haters change their loong held opinions
I was basically wondering if you ever thought of modifying the page layout of your website? Its very well written; I enjoy what youve got to state. But maybe you can add a a bit more in the way of written content so people could connect to it better. You have got a great deal of wording for only having one or two pictures. Maybe you can space it out better?