Chipolopolo Coach Ejects Player for Skipping Camp

Chipolopolo coach Sven Vandenbroek has set a high disciplinary bar for his team by sending away a player that turned up for camp 24 hours later than his teammates.

And Vandenbroek says the weekly camps for local players have helped him have an overall impression of the Zambian game.

During a media briefing at the close of the third camp for local players, Vandenbroek said he had seen about 40 players over three camps and would now shift to tie up the case with foreign based players.

The Belgian said that players could not just turn up for camp at their own will without sticking to pre-arranged times.

“This camp we had some discipline issues, that is why one (player) was sent home and another did not show up,” he said.

“I will not share the names, but we made it very clear that an individual cannot decide to come on Monday morning if the meeting point hour is on Sunday evening, he cannot decide by himself. He can contact me we can discuss it and if it is a good reason maybe I will allow but it is not up to him to decide.”

He said that some of the local players would be fused into the stream that will compete for the September 8 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier with foreign based players.

“In the end there are two teams, you have the national team which has to qualify for the Africa Cup and then we have the locals. I will tell you not everyone in the local camps will be in the Africa Cup team,” he said.

“The long term future for those camps is that we can improve and call up the best ones and prepare them for Chan and Cosafa next year.”

The coach said that Zambia was blessed with some good wingers singling out Green Eagles midfielder Spencer Sautu, Ernest Mbewe, Bruce Musakanya and Mike Katiba among others.

He also said that he had benefitted from his excellent working relationship with SuperSport that had helped him watch more games to identify players.

On foreign players, Vandenbroek said he had only seen TP Mazembe and Orlando Pirates stars that featured for their clubs in an international pre-season game on the Copperbelt.

The coach is expected to name his provisional squad after having had a look at foreign based players.

Zambia will be away to Namibia on the weekend of September 7-9 before hosting Guinea Bissau on October 10.

(Source: FAZ Media)