Times of Zambia | Savoy makes it 10!…Swiss coach joins Chipolopolo job hunt

Published On May 10, 2018 » 3215 Views» By Evans Musenya Manda » Football, Sports

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By SANDRA MWILA and KALUMIANA KALUMIANA –
SWISS coach Raoul Savoy is trying his second shot at landing the Chipolopolo job after he submitted his application along with two other coaches despite the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) insisting there is no vacancy.
So far 10 applications have reached Football House and those included new ones for 51-year-old George Cornea of Romania and Briton Simon MacMenemy and all the three are represented by their agent Sofian Soltani.
Savoy was interviewed at Football House on August 2, 2016 when FAZ advertised for the then vacant position after George Lwandamina was excused to concentrate on club duties and made the shortlist along with South African Gordon Igesund and Frenchman Sebastian Desabre.
But FAZ pulled the plug on the move to hire an expatriate due to lack of funds and settled for Wedson Nyirenda, who was earmarked for the assistant position.
Soltan said in an interview that Savoy, who holds a UEFA Pro Licence, UEFA A high level Four from the Scottish Football Association as well as UEFA B and B+, is highly experienced having worked with African countries in the past and was readily available.
“He (Savoy) has high experience on top level as national head coach as he coached national teams like Gambia, Swaziland, Central Africa or Ethiopia. He also coaches clubs in Morocco and Algeria,” he said.
Soltan said his client also coached FC Sion in Switzerland and was recalled Central Africa Republic for one match against Rwanda which he guided them to a 2-1 win.
On MacMenemy, Soltan said the Briton started his career coaching youth teams at Chelsea and Arsenal before coaching in Finland and the USA.
His national team coaching experience is traced to the Philippines from 2014 to 2015 and holds the record of the longest unbeaten run in Philippines history at eight games.
Cornea is a holder of UEFA A and UEFA B licenses as well as an Engineer’s degree in metallurgy and has had stints in Morocco at Hassania Union Sport d’Agadir as Under-21 coach and spent most of coaching career in Romania at different clubs.
He has also coached in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Others that have applied include former Chipolopolo coach Dario Bonetti, former Zesco United coach Zlatko Krmpotic, Zoran Djordjevic, Didier Six, Rone Lobelle, Antonie Hey and Dietmat Demut.
Meanwhile, Beston Chambeshi said he was relishing the challenge that awaits him at the 2018 COSAFA Cup in South Africa and has targetted the final at the tournament to be held in Polokwane from May 27 to June 9.
Chambeshi has been handed the reins to oversee Chipolopolo’s COSAFA Cup campaign that begins on June 2 in the quarterfinals against Namibia after both sides enjoyed a preliminary group stage bye.
Chambeshi said in an interview in Kitwe yesterday that he would ensure to select a team that would end Chipolopolo’s six-year draught for a COSAFA Cup title.
“Every coach wants to win the tournament but we have to make sure we make a strong team that is going there to compete. My target is to build a team that is disciplined and can deliver,” he said.
Chipolopolo finished runner-up last year when they lost 3-1 to Zimbabwe in their first final appearance since lifting it as hosts in 2013.
“We want to see players who can come and stay at national level because we have seen a lot of changes. We need players who are serious,” said Chambeshi whose provisional 30-member side would enter camp in Lusaka for a three-day get-together on May 13.