. LIWEWE

By SHAMAOMA MUSONDA –
FOOTBALL administrator Ponga Liwewe has vehemently opposed the recall of veterans Christopher Katongo and Isaac Chansa back into the Chipolopolo fold, while some sections have applauded the the move.
Liwewe, a former Power Dynamos executive member, said the move to recall the duo clearly shows Zambia has lost focus on qualifying to the Russia 2018 World Cup finals.
He wrote on his Facebook page that Katongo and Chansa were not young and would not be available for the 2018 World Cup and wonders what the rationale was in including them in the national team.
“This is detrimental for the long-term development of the next generation. Zambia should be looking at bigger objectives such as qualification for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
“To include two players who will not be a part of this qualification process in a developmental team loses sight of the purposes of these competitions.
“This prevents two young players who are progressing in their careers from taking a forward step,” Ponga said.
Lwandamina on Monday recalled Katongo, the former Chipolopolo captain who was chased from camp and subsequently dropped on disciplinary grounds in 2014, as well Chansa who was dropped in 2013 to allow for a new generation of players to take over.
As Ponga was totally opposed to the call-ups, fans were seemingly in agreement, although one section of the fans sent out strong advice to the two members.
The Chipolopolo Soccer Fans Association, through its president Yotham Mwanza, said he was happy that the two had returned to the national team.
“This move will definitely add depth and experience to the team.
“It should motivate the youngsters into performing well for Zambia, but we hope Katongo and Chansa will counsel and encourage the small boys rather than exhibiting egos,” he said.
Mwanza said as the fans welcomed them back to the team, the veteran players should be ready to be substituted or to start on the bench and respect whatever decision the coach makes.
Zambia Sports Fans Association leader Peter Makembo was overjoyed with the move, saying Zambia was not in a rebuilding process to deny the two players a chance to play in the team.
Makembo said the rebuilding process was done a long time ago, and that new players should be fused in the team slowly in a bid to take over from experienced players after proving themselves.
“We just love Lwandamina and his decisions. When we had all ruled out Collins Mbesuma, he called him back and look at how he is delivering.
“We are happy and hope he extends this to other players who can perform so our team gets strong again,” he said.