. Kamanga

By SANDRA MWILA –
ZAMBIA Under-20 midfielder Enock Mwepu says their target is to qualify to the Junior World Cup next year.
Mwepu said in an interview that the team has picked a number of lessons from the COSAFA tournament and they will ensure they perform well at the next February African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
He said they have a strong enough team that can win the 2017 AFCON trophy but their primary target was to qualify to the semi-finals and qualify to the World Cup.
“We want to qualify to the World Cup, that’s our next target. We have learnt a lot from the COSAFA tournament that will help us as we compete at the AFCON next year,” Mwepu said.
Mwepu said the team will not relax after winning the COSAFA but will work even hard ahead of the AFCON.
“We worked hard for the COSAFA tournament and we won, going into the AFCON we shall not relax,” Mwepu said.
He added that as an individual he will remain focused and prepare adequately for the AFCON in February.
And the team leading scorer Fashion Sakala said the team will perform better at the AFCON after a good preparation platform at the COSAFA.
He said they had planned to win the COSAFA championship and they managed to bring it back home.
“Winning the COSAFA was something we planned, we promised the Zambian people and we delivered for the nation.
“Come AFCON next year we shall even perform better because we have learnt a lot at the COSAFA,” he said.
Meanwhile, Football Association of Zambia(FAZ) president Andrew Kamanga said the team has to focus on qualifying to the World Cup during the AFCON.
“We have a lot of work before us. We need to focus on getting to the Semi-finals of the AFCON which will guarantee us a slot at the World Cup,” Kamanga said.
The Zambia under-20 were on Friday crowned 2016 COSAFA champions after beating South Africa 2-1 in the finals.