•ACTING President Guy Scott joins the party in the Chipolopolo dressing room at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola to celebrate the team’s 1-0 victory over Cape Verde on Wednesday night. Zambia qualified to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. Picture by JEAN MANDELA

By FELIX MALUNGA –

ACTING President Guy Scott has promised the Chipolopolo of Government’s maximum support for the Equatorial Guinea 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals.
Scott said Government through Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili would do everything possible to ensure the Chipolopolo were adequately cartered for ahead of the continent’s most prestigious football competition.
“We shall make sure that he (Kambwili) who is Minister of Sport supports you and the Minister of Finance (Alexander Chikwanda) behind him,” Scott said when addressing the team in their dressing room after beating Cape Verde 1-0 in the final Group F match on Wednesday night at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola.
He said Government was proud of the national team’s achievement of qualifying to the AFCON finals for the 17th time.
Zambia, the 2012 African champions, claimed a sixth successive qualification to the AFCON after edging out Mozambique 1-0 last weekend in Maputo.
“I have seen perfection.You pushed so hard it was obvious that you’re going to score. You were very unlucky on a few shots but if you keep trying it goes through. And this is your third win on the trot. Now you have done us proud, we are so proud of you,” he told the squad.
Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Kalusha Bwalya saluted the youngsters in the Chipolopolo squad for pushing hard to ensure qualification.
Kalusha said the match against the Blue Sharks on Wednesday was only a qualifier but also a test to gauge if the Chipolopolo would be ready for the Equatorial Guinea finals next January.
He said the Chipolopolo playing before the home crowd rose to the occasion to beat a tough Cape Verde team.
“We have experience but we have the young boys who are pushing and for me that has been the delight of this campaign. After a slow start, Zambia has found itself in true Zambian fashion and anyone who goes home today will agree as a Zambian that we have a team for the future,” Kalusha added.
Cape Verde and Zambia qualified from Group F as winner and runner-up on 12 and 11 points, respectively.