. Mweene

By NDINAWE SIMPELWE  In Uyo, Nigeria –
CHIPOLOPOLO skipper Kennedy Mweene said it would be unfair to criticise the team for failing to qualify to the World Cup because every player accounted himself very well.
And Nigeria captain John Mikel Obi said Zambia has a young and young team for the future.
Mweene said after the match that he was not disappointed with the team’s performance because Zambia played better than Nigeria and the young players accounted themselves well against an experienced side.
He said as much as the result was disappointing, it would be unfair to call the team a failure.
“I don’t have any regrets in these qualifiers. When you look at our team, there are a lot of youngsters. We are rebuilding the team. Of course you need experience but when you play games like these you gain experience,” he said.
The Mamelodi Sundowns keeper said he was happy with the way the team played and conducted itself on the pitch because it was not an easy game for both sides.
“Of course I will be disappointed with the result but when it comes to the type of game we played, I would be unfair to say I’m unhappy. I’m proud with each and everyone who played today,” Mweene said.
And Mikel said the hunger to compete at the World Cup was the driving force to beat Zambia but was quick to say luck was on their side.
He said the Zambia side in Uyo was better than the one that lost the first game in Ndola adding that the new Chipolopolo had a lot of energy and pace.
“I think with this team they have, the future looks bright for them (Zambia). We are lucky they started the whole process a bit late. They looked very good today (Saturday). They looked better than the team we beat in Ndola. They are very physical and energetic,” Obi said.
Meanwhile, SANDRA MWILA reports that despite Zambia’s elimination, football administrator Simataa Simataa heaped praises on the Chipolopolo for what he said was a decent campaign.
“We have been exposed to a good side for the future and immediately we should start thinking of qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and Qatar 2022 World Cup,” Simataa said.
He said the coach has a good side which demonstrated its worth when beating Algeria back-to-back.
“For me, I was happy with how the boys played against Algeria and going on to beat them home and away.  I was content with that and whatever was to come afterwards would have been a bonus,” Simataa said.
Zambia Sports Fans Association strongman Peter Makembo said he was happy with the way the players played and should focus on upcoming games and competition.
“It is not time to point fingers at who did what but rather how best we can harness this team that we have so that we can have a strong team for the future. We shall always be here to support them and we thank Government for the tireless support rendered to the team,” he said.