SENIOR PLAYERS TELLS COACH JANZA TO DEAL WITH EGOS and NOT BY DROPPING THEM Some senior Zambia national team players have exclusively told Zambian Football that they were being forced out of the Chipolopolo on allegations of being bad influences but claimed that the real reason was the coachs inability to manage the various camps, egos and heightened competition among players for starting 11 places. The players told Zambian Football that despite the challenges they were facing with at the team technical bench, they still wanted to be in Janzas 23-man squad for the 30th edition of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations which kicks-off on 17 January in Bata. Janza is expected to name his squad on Tuesday/Wednesday for the final training camp which commences on 26 December in Johannesburg from where Chipolopolo will also play Bafana Bafana on 4th January and another match against a yet to be named opponent from north or west Africa. The players asserted that the question of side-lined senior players being indisciplined was false. “No boss, the problem with the coach is that he felt insecure with our presence. He was supposed to manage the situation and the different egos in the team well, one of the players said. Another player added: Take for instance Jacob (Mulenga) and Djemba (James Chamanga). Djemba won’t complain being on the bench but Jacob or Kennedy Mweene won’t accept that unless if there’s a player he knows for sure is better than him starting. But according to the theory by the coach, Jacob is a bad influence because he is competitive and feels he should start. That should not be the case. The coach should encourage the competition and be happy to see players fight hard not to be on the bench. Asked about the issue of clicks and camps in the Chipolopolo squad, another player said: Camps have always been there in the national team, even from the time we started as newcomers to the squad. Look, Collins (Mbesuma) and Chris (Katongo) have never been on same page but they have played in the same team since their under-23 days way back from 2002 or 2003 and they have won many games and the Africa Cup, the Nelson Mandela challenge together. Its about competing and the coachs job to manage those camps and differences based on player competition for places. Another player added: You (as a coach) can’t use that as an excuse to drop players. Kennedy also has a camp, Singuluma and Djemba also have their camp, Chris has his camp, Hichani had his camp. So it’s normal to have things like that. But again it’s the way you manage it. “We are being chased from the (national team) team not because we can’t compete with our young brothers but simply because we are alleged to be bad influence to the group. The players argued that the coach should encourage competition among senior and young players. “People at the national team want good team spirit and don’t want players to complain if one is put on the bench but football is not like that. A coach is about managing egos and encouraging competition. The players cautioned against their continued sidelining saying Zambia risked going to Equatorial Guinea with a squad lacking in depth, experience and endurance to compete against the continents best. They called on Janza to consider every player on merit, form and not leave out anyone merely because they were perceived to be bad influences. It’s a good idea to give chance to the new young players, that’s the way we came in as well but remember at that time Zambia was struggling and we were never close to being one of the favourites for the Africa Cup, one player said adding: But this time, we are one of the seeded teams for the tournament and that means we should be challenging for the trophy again in 2015 not merely going there to play group games. But with this so called new team only, it seems like were rebuilding and not going to have a go at the trophy. The tried and tasted players are there and available but its just managing different egos and the big boys. Coaches do that everywhere and it has been done before in Zambia. Another added: Sate Sate, Bruce (Musakanya), or Lubambo (Musonda) won’t ask questions why they are being benched but Jacob, Isaac Chansa or Chris, Mbesuma, Singuluma, Mweene will do and when they do that, it is not indiscipline. Its how a coach manages it. Is it a crime to be upset to be benched at the expense of Charles Zulu for example when you have been better in training and feel you could do better? Or Mweene being benched for Nsabata or Munyau when he knows he has been playing all season and been better in training?” And we are not saying everyone (all senior players) should be recalled but those that would make a difference on the pitch and not as choir leaders. Zambia faces a tricky Group B with games against one of the pre-tournament favourites Tunisia, Cape Verde and an enterprising DRC side. Courtesy: Zamfootball Kickoff
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 09:10:40 +0000
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