Grants takes interest in U20 AFCON bound squad

Chipolopolo coach Avram Grant has been combing through various possibilities as he settles in his job.

Grant who has been busy watching local league matches, academy games was on Friday afternoon at the Edwin Imboela Stadium to watch the AFCON bound under-20 Men’s National Team training.

Part of his interest was to appreciate the level of talent and training regime of the junior Chipolopolo. The calm nurtured gaffer who was in the company of FAZ Technical Director Lyson Zulu briefly addressed the squad branding them the future of the Chipolopolo.

“You are here because you have talent, but talent alone is not enough, you need to be passionate and also mentally strong,” he said.

Zambia will be based in Alexandria alongside Tunisia, Gambia and Benin for the Africa Cup of Nations that kicks off on February 19 in Egypt. Top four teams will qualify for the Under-20 FIFA World Cup to be hosted by Indonesia.

2022 Zambia Premier League winner Chisi Mbewe is head of the under-20 where he is assisted by Albert Mphande, George Chilufya and Emmanuel Msichili while Billy Mwanza is physical trainer.

The ex-Chelsea, West Ham and Portsmouth coach who has also been boss of Ghana and Israel then shook hands with the technical bench and players before taking a backseat.

The appointment of Grant has created a buzz around the Zambian game with the Israeli looking for a possible strong start in March when Zambia plays Lesotho in back-to-back games in Group H Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

– FAZ