Chipolopolo set up training camp in SA

Zambia coach Herve Renard believes it is time for everyone to get behind Chipolopolo and wants to create a strong team unity during their time in South Africa.
Zambia and Botswana are the only representatives from southern Africa at the finals and many South Africans are expected to get behind these teams considering the many players that have links to the PSL.
But Zambia must negotiate their way through Group A, which consists of co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Senegal.
Renard has recently been reported as saying that when the team stays in Zambia there is “too much turbulence” around the squad hence the decision to camp in South Africa.
His group of players will play Bafana Bafana on January 11 in Tshwane before heading to Equatorial Guinea on January 18.
Zambia have, meanwhile, given up hope Dutch-based striker Jacob Mulenga will recover in time from injury and left him out of their preliminary squad for next month’s African Cup of Nations finals.
Mulenga suffered a knee injury in action for FC Utrecht in October but Zambia were hopeful he would return after surgery in time for the tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, which starts on January 21.
However, coach Renard has confirmed Mulenga’s recovery would take longer than expected and that he would miss the Nations Cup for a second successive time.
Striker Jonas Sakuwaha had been recalled to the squad, which will be cut to 23 from 28 on January 10, officials said.
At the Nations Cup, Zambia compete in Group A along with co-hosts Equatorial Guinea, Libya and Senegal.
Meanwhile, Botswana have cancelled their planned Nations Cup training camp in Qatar and returned instead to South Africa.
The Zebras squad were due to leave for the Aspire Academy in Doha on Boxing Day but then cancelled because it was too expensive, according to Botswana Football Association chief executive officer Sonnyboy Sethibe.
In an embarrassing reversal for the BFA, they now return to Rustenburg to continue their preparations, as coach Stanley Tshosane had originally planned.
But BFA bigwigs had wanted to go to Qatar but now admitted they bungled arrangements.
Sethibe said the price list for accommodation and facilities that had been requested from the academy had taken too long to arrive and when it eventually did, proved too expensive.
But that explanation begs the question why the BFA committed to the trip without first firming up all the arrangements. Tshosane had not been keen on going to Middle East at all, saying he was satisfied with the facilities available in Rustenburg. Botswana spent two weeks in the North West Province before Christmas and beat Lesotho 3-0 in a friendly played in Rustenburg on December 21. – Kickoff.com.