ZAMBIA under-20 coach Keagan Mumba has bemoaned Zambia failure to qualify to the 2013 Africa youth championships after a 3-0 away loss to Mali despite having a good crop of players.
Speaking after the team was effectively bundled out of the race to Algiers, Mumba apologised to the Zambian fans for the embarrassing manner in which his team were ejected from the Africa Youth qualifying race and said he had affected him negatively.
“I dreamed of the CAF Africa Youth Championships as well as the World Cup, we have won the and are tired of COSAFA Cup. And, despite the quality of players we have in this under-20 team, We are still underachievers.
“Maybe FAZ needs to improve input into preparing the team than just wanting it to qualify to such competitions.
This team never played any high level preparatory matches yet we banked on names on paper. It’s time to go to the drawing board again and again until we do the right thing,” he said.
Mumba team was beaten 3-0 by Mali in Bamako on Friday night, which added to a 2-2 home draw in Kitwe a fortnight ago tom see Mali go through 5-2 on aggregate.
The under-20 failed to play an international friendly in the run up to the home tie after the team was rejected entry into Congo and even after the 2-2 draw, Zambia still did not get to play an international friendly.
He said Zambia played all the football but Mali just got the goals.
He also hailed FAZ for attaching the two senior national team coaches (Herve Renard and Patrice Beaumulle) to his squad as it helped him and his assistants as well as the players to learn something new in football.
He said the coaching bench remained firm on improving football in the country and that together with the two senior national team coaches, the country needed to be focussed on football development.
Zambia has been hoping for a berth at the 2013 Africa Youth championship in Mali where the top four finishers were going to make it to the World Youth Cup to be staged in turkey in 2013.
So far, Zambia only has two under-20 world Cup appearance- the 1999 and the 2007 team with the latter making second round of the competition.
Same old story. Preparation not good enough. I’m sure those players are good enough. Don’t forget, Spain were under-achievers for years in spite of very good players, a strong local league and what not. They had to wait a long time for success at national team level before they hit pay dirt. All I will say is keep going chaps and don’t lose heart. Some of our own AFCON 2012 heroes were being clobbered by the likes of Cameroon and Egypt at previous AFCON finals, but they learnt from it;especially at a psychological level which is usually the ‘unseen’ factor in higher level sport.
Mudala ni mu kulu uyu ku velela ka Frenchman…FAZ should have left the state of affairs and let the bigman fail…alone. Now we really dont know what went wrong or how we failed-who to blame so as to move forward, Renard failed with Fwayo, Roger, Emmanuel and the like…but won the African Cup…but then failed us again…NEXT time lets not change coaches at cranch time…we have to learn something from this outing…
Ba Keagan please don’t apologise to anybody. We are all blaming the uselessness of believing that foreigners are better than local Zambians. I wish they had given you Msiska to assist you, unfortunately they gave you silly Renard who choose finished players like Katongo brothers on expense of good players like Fwayo, Mulengas and local boys like Sate Sate.
#3 Nostradamus
I don’t understand you when you talk of the Katongo brothers who are in Senior NOT junior team. Once more I wonder why you reback Keagan.. To make an apology is necessary considering that he used tax payers money and returned home with a basket full of goats.. Final .. I don’t think that calling Renald silly is good. He was impossed on by FAZ, just imagine two drivers driving one vehicle and the other driver said he learnt something from his colleaguea what’s that all about. Alot of monies was spent accommodating senior + junior coaching staff.. Simplifying the matter Keagan was being controlled by Renald
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You win some and lose some such is the name of the game no need for finger wagging.It will bw worse next week cause i ao not think Chipolopolo will beat auganda.The dethroaning of the Kings of Africa is coming too early.Our nine months honey moon seem to be coming to an end.Thus the reality?whom are we going to blame?the pitch,Renard,Christopher,travel arrangements,FAZ,Kalusha in person,Government,the minister CK,the plane,were we camped,the botel the team was booked in etc?it will all be here next Sunday.
It is no secret that winning away in African football must be a miracle.That is what your Chipolopol should expect in Kampalaon 13/oct/2013.
I have been quiet and now i want to say it.Mumba failed to qualify the team because his selection base is narrow.cast the net wide and call Zambian players born and bred abroad.Look at Mali most of the guys that played were either born in France or Italy,Local league is not yet strong enough to propel our young lads.Bloggers please lets continue to expose our own players abroad so that the corrupt FAZ regime mighty consider them.By the way,has the senior players been paid all their millions without nchekeleko from……………believe you me am enjoying soccer here
The whole technical team should be fired. We are tired of spending money on sports tourists.
Apology accepted. Let’s move on and learn.
:-wVery disappointing.
K.
Sheffieldf/:)
U failed to score and u say u played football. so what did hyour friends play if NOT also Football. Mumba can u resign on Moral grounds. herve Rehnard we dont ant any more excusses in Kampala. Nothing short of a win is anticipated. we need to be at AFCON 2013.
Foseki Chi Mumba. You made us very angry. How can u lose 3 – 0. U failed to make your team tick. U failed to sych them up and it was your fault. we want to move forward with another coach. Not with U.
Did I read somewhere Keegan Mumba aportioning the blame to the the late and panicy incluzion of HR to take over coaching of the U20?
its high time the coach was fired honestly
We messed up at home. It is very rare for our national teams at any level to win away. This same Keagan chap blamed Renard for the lose, now he has sobered up!
What happened to the so much fancied under 20 team who even store the lime light by scooping the picture of the day on movie Tv through dancing to the hIT “SECRETS” song! Lmao @ Renard dancing like a a yoyo! Soccer Analysts where are you so that you tell us about your predictions of qualifying to the tournament! lol @ not even knowing when the bastards sneaked into the country! Zedians lets learn to call a spade a spade! Winning the African Cup does not guarantee that you will always win your oponents! Lets hope you all won’t hide your jerseys this coming Saturday! Lets publicise the under 20 results the way we publicised the pre training matches before the final game! Lmao @ wireless pomposity before the actual games
Mali – 0 Zambia – 3! Was this not a prediction by one of the so called seasoned analyst? One wonders if we really do watch the same Zambia Soccer Team! With the current crop of players, what really makes one have so much faith in the Zambian Team? The problem is that we easily forget! Despite losing someone will tell you that we played well – lol….What is playing well without winning? If you played well, then HOW did the winners play? Despite the loss, someone will still tell you that Zambia is better than Mali – what a joke! Wake up analyst and rise above being biased and partisan!