Chipolopolo/ Copper-bullets (bottom)
By Jemimah Chungu
The Zambia National Football Team coach, Avram Grant has announced the preparatory journey for his squad ahead of the 2023 Ivory Coast Africa Cup of Nations in January With stringent Physical Tests for players.
In the information made available by the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) https://www.facebook.com/FootballAssociationZambia
Grant says the Zambia National Football Team often extolled as Chipolopolo/ Copper-bullets will kick-off their preparatory journey with a weeklong camp in Lusaka around Christmas time.
The preparatory journey is to kick-start before heading for an international camp on January 1 for the final preparatory camp that will have the chosen ones attend.
He also notified that physical trainer Jamie Lawrence will run unique stringent physical tests on the All squad members without exception to check if they are in good condition to represent Zambia at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Speaking ahead of the local camp with the Media Team, Grant said the players that will be ready and meet the three prescribed selection criteria by his technical team will be in the final squad.
“Our preparations for the AFCON will intensify in the next few weeks and we will have a camp around Christmas time for local and foreign based players. This will be to assess which players will be ready for the international camp and eventually the tournament,” Grant said.
“Everyone will be given an opportunity and the players that prove themselves will be in the final squad. Our physical trainer Jamie Lawrence will do lot of work with the players as others have not played enough matches to be ready.”
Grant said the players who will seem ready whether local or foreign will proceed to the international camp.
“The final phase will involve the international camp that we are working on in the background where we will work out the finer details,” he said.
The ex-Chelsea, West Ham and Portsmouth gaffer has prescribed a selection process anchored on quality, passion, and desire to play for one’s country that has previously shut out some players.
Zambia is in Group F alongside Morocco, Congo and Tanzania.
The 34th edition will take place from January 13 to February 1, 2024, with Zambia being domiciled in the coastal city of San Pedro.
(FAZ)
