SPORT ON – AFCON year is here!
By Timothy Sichela
THE New Year is with us and the countdown proper to this month’s much-awaited 28th edition of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has truly started.
Obviously the biggest sporting highlight of the year, the London 2012 Olympic Games is in another continent, but I will focus on 2012 AFCON where Zambia has some hope.
The 100 metres Jamaican showdown between world record holder Usain Bolt and world champion Yohan Blake is one of the most anticipated races in 2012. Can’t wait for June!
I shudder to even imagine Zambia winning medals at the world’s greatest show considering our athletes have failed to win any significant medals on the international stage in recent times. Sport associations were probably too busy brawling and forgot London Olympic Games were beckoning.
Thank God the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) spared us some time to at least qualify the Chipolopolo for 2012 AFCON. The women and men U-23 soccer teams flunked the Olympic qualifiers, though.
And with the giants Nigeria, Cameroun and defending champions Egypt absent, everyone thought winning the cup had been easy. But how can that be when Senegal, Ivory Coast and Ghana are available!
The likes of Kalilo Kakonje, Felix Katongo, both who spent most of 2011 without club football, Nyambe Mulenga, who blew hot and cold the whole of last season, and a couple of South Africa-based players past their prime, give me the creeps about this AFCON.
If coach, Herve Renard really wants to win AFCON, he needs to work with in-form and fit players, he should not be rehabilitating tired legs because make no mistake about it- other AFCON finalists have altogether left passengers behind.
Renard may be satisfied with the progress his charges appear to be making in readiness for AFCON, saying the Chipolopolo are now capable of winning AFCON matches. We will see about that in next week’s friendly against South Africa.
With some of the most important games in football played in the mind, next Wednesday’s friendly is a must-win especially now that it is against a makeshift Bafana Bafana.
After losses to Nigeria and Angola, the Chipolopolo need a confidence-boosting victory before heading to Equatorial Guinea.
Away from AFCON, Chilangisha B Changwe writes: I agree with you that we did not perform well in most sports disciplines. The current FAZ executive (thought) scored many successes in the just ended soccer season raising the standards of football and qualifying for the AFCON 2012.
The Under-20 national team also defended the COSAFA Cup in Botswana.
The standards of football which have been plummeting the past few years took an upward swing. The performance by most Premier teams was relatively higher and the league was very competitive.
This led to an increase in match attendance by almost 30 per cent. In my own opinion the current executive deserve a pat on the back. The following could have been reasons behind the success.
From where this column stands, it is not easy applauding FAZ for its achievements including training of coaches at high level courses, sponsorship of league and televising of live matches by Supersport since the deals were sort of shrouded in secrecy. Catch me next week.
Have a blessed sporting year. –
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Categories: Sport
Comments Off
« Elite sport should pay its own way | Home | Don Carter dies at 85; ‘Mr. Bowling’ was the sport’s original superstar »
