Warriors Chan opponent defer camp

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Warriors’ African Nations Championship (Chan) Group D opponents Zambia have deferred their pre-tournament training camp from this week to December 27.

According to the Times of Zambia, Chipolopolo moved their camping dates to allow players to get enough rest following a long season laced with several international commitments.

Zimbabwe and Zambia open the Group D matches with a clash at Umuganda Stadium on January 19 in Rwanda.

Football Association of Zambia spokesperson Nkweto Tembwe told the Times of Zambia that one of the reasons why they had initially set to start their training camp on December 14 was to stop players from injuring themselves with exertion due to what he called ‘township off season tournaments, equivalent to Zimbabwe’s version of the popular Horse Power off-season tournament.

Tembwe said the Township Christmas and other off-season tournaments were popular among the players but also destructive ahead of the Chan tournament set for January 16 to February 7.

“The season was long and tight. We had several national team games and then some players shuffled between different national teams, so the coaches thought the players needed a bit of rest before getting into the Chan preparations,” Tembwe is quoted as saying.

He said there was nothing sinister about a team going into camp after Christmas, which would be two weeks before the Chan kicks off.

He said even the Chipolopolo “proper” when going to the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) earlier this year started camp on December 26, 2014 and that decision was “not from the blue”.

The Chipolopolo camp was further disturbed by the withdrawal of four Red Arrows players due to military commitments.

Chipolopolo coach George Lwandamina had called in the Red Arrows quartet of goalkeeper Danny Munyau, defender Benedict Chepeshi, Paul Katema and striker Festus Mbewe on his provisional team list, but Red Arrows refused to release the four players arguing they had been recruited to undergo military training.

The country versus club war needed the intervention of the Zambian Air Force commander Lieutenant-General Eric Chimese, who told FAZ to look for replacements for the quartet.