By Ndinawe Simpelwe –
. LWANDAMINA
ZESCO United coach George Lwandamina has warned his players against letting the away win in the CAF Champions League getting to their heads but remain focused on qualifying to the group stage.
Zesco United yesterday returned from Mali to a thunderous welcome where they registered an impressive 3-1 win against Stade Malien in the second round first leg match of the Champions’ League.
In an interview, Lwandamina commended the orgnisers who brought the fans to the airport but asked his players to remain cautious because they had not achieved anything yet.
He said sometimes, when the team receive a lot of attention, some players get distracted and this may cost the team in the return leg scheduled for April 19.
“It is good for the players to be received like this, but I hope it won’t give them the complacency I’m talking about.
“The organisers have done a commendable thing. As long as this does not go to the heads of the players,” he said.
Lwandamina said he needed all his players to be firmly focused on the return leg because Stade Malien is a good side.
He paid tribute to Idriss Mbombo for his scoring prowess but was quick to attribute the victory to teamwork.
Lwandamina further urged the nation especially the media to help build the team instead of focusing on the negatives.
He said in other countries, the media help build teams by focusing on the positives of a team instead looking back at the negatives.
“They are a good side. It’s (the win) not something that should make us go to bed. They are a formidable side and we just have to do our homework right if we are to go through to the next round.
“You people are always bringing out negatives. You don’t build. I don’t know what your reporting is. You don’t want to build teams. Last time it was ‘you have never gone to the group stages’, now if we go to the group stages, it will be ‘you have never gone to what’… all those are negatives, people will start reading about that and definitely they will not have confidence in the team,” Lwandamina said.
