. Patrice
By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
ZAMBIA coach Patrice Beaumelle will be without up to seven players when the Chipolopolo face Japan in a high profile international friendly on June 6 in the United States of America.
Six of the players are out due to their club’s involvement in continental football with the other ruled out due to an injury.
Zambia plays FIFA 2014 World Cup finalists Japan on June 6 in Tampa, Florida.
FAZ president Kalusha Bwalya said the association had excused Nkana and DR Congo’s TP Mazembe players from the match against the Blue Samurai who are preparing for the World Cup finals in Brazil.
The highest profile Chipolopolo player to miss out is 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) gold medalist, Rainford Kalaba who will be busy with Mazembe club in continental football.
Mazembe will be engaged in the 2014 ZAF Champions League Group A match against Zamalek on June 7 at home in Lubumbashi.
“We did not want to disturb the players from Nkana and TP Mazembe from their important matches. So we have excused them from the Japan friendly. But we will field a very strong team because we have lot of players,” Kalusha told Supersport.
Other Mazembe call-ups who will miss the Japan friendly are defender Kabaso Chongo and striker Given Singuluma.
Singuluma was set to end his two-year exile from the Zambian team after failing to make the final cut for the 2012 AFCON tournament co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.
Also missing out from Nkana are forwards Evans Kangwa and Ronald Kampamba as well as defender Christopher Munthali, who will be away that same week in Tunisia to face Etoile du Sahel in the 2014 CAF Confederation Cup Group B match.
The Nkana players also missed Zambia’s monthly camp for local players, which ended yesterday.
A legion of foreign-based players, whose seasons have ended abroad, also attended the training camp.
The seventh player out is comeback midfielder, William Njobvu of Red Arrows, who tore his thigh muscle during the Chipolopolo’s Tuesday training session.
Chipolopolo team doctor, Mwila Lupasha confirmed Njobvu was out of the Japan game but said the length of him being on the sidelines would only be confirmed after a scan.
Beaumelle regretted the injury and wished Njobvu a quick recovery, saying it would have been good to see the midfielder back after a long spell on the sidelines due to a knee injury.
On Singuluma, Beaumelle also said it was unfortunate the Mazembe striker was out of this game as he would have loved to have a look at him again after a long time.
“We used to have him with us some time ago. I wanted to see him again, I want to see any Zambian who brings something special to the team. But anyway we shall see him later in future games,” he said.
