Zambia: Mbesuma, Musonda Jet in

26 May 2011

ZAMBIA striker Collins Mbesuma and defender Joseph Musonda arrived yesterday from their South African base to boost the national soccer team for next weekend’s 2012 African Nations Cup (AFCON) qualifier against Mozambique.

The two Lamontville Golden Arrows players, who jetted into Ndola on a midday flight, said the Chipolopolo had the quality to complete a double over the Black Mambas and move closer to qualification to the 2012 AFCON finals to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Mbesuma, who has just clinched a two-year extension to his contract at Arrows, said having beaten Mozambique 2-0 in Maputo, Zambia should be confident enough to collect maximum points at Nchanga Stadium in Chingola.

He said Dario Bonetti’s Chipolopolo had the better quality than Mart Nooij’s charges and called on the fans to turn up in numbers to give the squad moral support.

The former Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns player called for team work in the squad if Zambia was to get a positive result.

Mbesuma, who banged 11 goals in 18 games as top scorer for Arrows, said he was happy with his performance in the South African league and that it gave him confidence to start on high next season.

Musonda, who is captain at Arrows, said while the match against

Mozambique would be difficult, Zambia had no choice but to win and boost chances of reaching the 2012 AFCON finals.

He said winning next weekend’s match would put the Chipolopolo in strong contention for qualification.

Musonda, however, warned his team-mates against underrating the Mambas, saying there was need for all players to take the fixture seriously and there was no excuse for failure at home.

On whether the absence of Jacob Mulenga, James Chamanga and Felix Katongo will have an impact on the team, Musonda and Mbesuma said the available players were capable of delivering the desired results and that all positions in the squad were competitive.

They said the absence of the trio would also accord other budding

players a chance to prove their mantle on the international stage.

And FAZ communications manager Erick Mwanza said the team was scheduled to have its first training session later in the afternoon yesterday at Arthur Davies Stadium in Kitwe.

Mwanza said defender Hichani Himoonde, midfielders Stopilla Sunzu, Rainford Kalaba and striker Given Singuluma of the Democratic Republic of Congo side TP Mazembe were expected to join the team today. Russia-based Chisamba Lungu would arrive tomorrow.

Mwanza reiterated that striker Emmanuel Muyuka of Swiss side Young Boys and Orlando Pirates midfielder Isaac Chansa would be the last players to join the team because of their engagements with their respective teams at the weekend.

He said a full squad was expected by Monday and that coach Dario Bonetti would decide whether to replace the four players who have been ruled out of the match through injury of suspension.

Strikers Jacob Mulenga (FC Utrecht, The Netherlands), James Chamanga (Dalian Shide, China) and Felix Katongo (Al-Ittihad, Libya) while midfielder Noah Chivuta (Free State Stars, South Africa) is serving a one match suspension after accumulating two yellow cards.

In a related development, the Under-23 has intensified preparations for the London 2012 Olympic Games Africa zone first leg qualifier against Algeria to be played Friday night next week.

The Lucky Msiska-coached team entered day three of training yesterday at Independence Stadium in Lusaka after resuming residential camp on Sunday evening.

The team, which is camped at the FAZ Technical Centre, is on Monday scheduled to leave for Algeria.

AllAfrica – All the Time