FAZ SECURES FRIENDLIES FOR CHIPOLOPOLO

THE Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) says it has secured one confirmed friendly game for the national soccer team which will engage in two friendly matches before playing their first 2023 AFCON qualifier.

FAZ president Andrew Kamanga said the Chipolopolo would play one friendly game in Qatar before playing the second test match in a country where they will be camped before the first set of 2023 AFCON qualifying fixtures.

Kamanga said his administration is doing everything possible to ensure that the Chipolopolo led by Aljosa Asanovic is prepared adequately for the qualifiers.

Kamanga said the players will have to work extra hard during the qualifiers for Zambia to scoop the remaining one spot in group H consisting of 2023 AFCON hosts, Ivory Coast, Comoros and Lesotho.

"On our part as administrators, we started the preparation earlier in January we had to appoint the coach and last month we utilised the FIFA window with two friendlies against Congo Brazzaville and Benin. And we had the local team going to Iraq and we are still hopeful that we can have two friendlies before playing Ivory Coast," Kamanga said.

“We are working around the camping schedule and we have a game in Qatar and we hope we can get the second one in the country where we are going to camp so that the coach can have the

Kamanga said the two friendlies secured for the Chipolopolo will give Asanovic the opportunity to know and understand the players better.

"This time we should be okay because the European leagues should be closed by mid-May so the coach will have the players for two weeks and we hope that he will utilise the two friendlies we have organised for the team," Kamanga said.