By RONALD CHAWE –
NATIONAL team coach Wedson Nyirenda has described striker Jacob Mulenga’s announcement that he has retired from Chipolopolo duty ahead of the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers as unfortunate.
In an interview in Ndola yesterday, Nyirenda said he had been monitoring the 33-year-old attacker for future assignments.
On Tuesday from his base in China, Mulenga said that he had decided to call time on his Chipolopolo career to focus on club obligations.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate the young man. He has done a lot for the nation. He has represented us very well inside as well as outside the country where he is now. And I think he is a very good beacon for Zambian football,” he said.
Nyirenda, who is monitoring different potential Chipolopolo call ups for the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup Group B qualifier against Algeria at home and away to Blida, said he loved Mulenga because of his focus.

MULENGA

“The young man has been disciplined throughout his career and it’s unfortunate that Jacob has retired at a time I have been monitoring him. I have been monitoring his performances and progression in China and whilst he was in Europe. We were talking, we were chatting, he is a very humble player and you can see his background where he is coming from. He is a very disciplined player, its unfortunate that I will not  have him in the system in the coming future,” he said.
He said the country should respect his wish because it was him who knew better and he felt he had done so much for the nation and he quit at a time people were still clapping.
He said for him it mighty be a loss in another way but he lauded the player for everything he had done for the country.
Nyirenda said Mulenga would be remembered as a legend of Zambian football and would continue respecting the player he knew when he was a boy in Kitwe.
And on the team in camp, Nyirenda said being a second day of training, the team was looking much better with those with minor knocks doing good.
Nyirenda said Alex Ng’onga, who has been awaited was scheduled to join camp later in the day (yesterday).
Asked about some South African players pulling out of the Bafana Bafana team, Nyirenda said he was not going to take that as an advantage because his charges had their own problems to deal with before the encounter.
The coach said previously, he had challenges of acquiring some players and some players were not part of the squad due to injuries while others had been forced out with other challenges.
He said players’ pulling out of the Bafana Bafana squad does not mean that the Zambian team would have an advantage over them.
He said the team was going to work within their means and based on the material that would be available on the game day.
He said the fans should expect a good treat from his charges against South African on Saturday.