FORTUNA FOOTBALL ACADEMY TRIO INVITED FOR TRIALS IN CROATIA

By Mike Mubanga

Three Fortuna Football Academy players are expected to attend an 11 day trial with Croatian club, NK Zagreb.

The top Croatian professional football league side, which is based in the country’s capital city Zagreb, has called for the services of defender Anthony Syamayuwa, attacking midfielder Godsent Simuyanda and striker Vestor Bwali.

Academy chairperson Nason Kokowe has told blogger Mike Mubanga Says that the trio will be taken through various performance and physical fitness training in front of Zagreb’s technical team.

“It’s a great opportunity and honor for the boys and their entire team. This means a lot because it just shows how much work we are putting in as a team in as far as football development at club and national level is concerned,” Kokowe said.

Kokowe has advised the trio to trust in God and their capacity to perform during the trial which starts on 10 July in Europe.

“My message to the boys is that they should always be prayerful and at the same time work hard. They should also know that as they go for these trials, it is Zambia and the entire Africa that they are representing so they must die a little and showcase the massive talent we have back here.

Fortuna features in the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) Under-19 Lusaka region league.

They are currently ninth in the 16 team log table.

ZAMBIA WILL NOT QUALIFY TO 2017 AFRICA CUP, STOP WASTING CALCULATOR BATTERIES

Gutted Zambian supporters. Picture by Jean Mandela

By Mike Mubanga

I have been compelled to respond to numerous phone calls, text and Whatsapp messages from people asking me if Zambia still has a chance to qualify to the 2017 Gabon Africa Cup of Nations.

The answer is NO, the Chipolopolo Boys were ELIMINATED from the contest following the 3-2 loss away to Guinea Bissau on Saturday.

The George Lwandamina marshaled boys are third in Group E with six points, four behind group winners Guinea Bissau with Congo occupying second place thanks to their superior goal difference of plus 1.

Gabon automatically qualified to the AFCON 2017 as hosts, while 13 group winners will be joined by two best losers.

Surely, Zambia has six points, how can they be best losers when you have teams on TEN points such as Tunisia in Group A, Central African Republic in Group B and Uganda in Group D?

As it stands, Zambia is not among the top 10 best losers so why punch innocent calculator buttons, celebrate Kenya’s win over Congo, hope the Chipolopolo beat the Harambee Stars and further hope that Bissau beats Congo? This is mind boggling!

Simply put, Zambia will not qualify to the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 2004, when they failed to do so under Patrick ‘the Mathematician’ Phiri.

‘Alarm signs’

Zambia’s signs of failure to qualify to the continental showpiece started way back when they qualified to the 2013 Africa Cup after beating Uganda 9-8 on post-match penalties on 13 October 2013 following a 1-1 aggregate score.

The struggles were very real in South Africa when the then reigning champions were booted out in the first round after drawing all three games in Group C against Ethiopia and 2013 finalists, Nigeria and Burkina Faso.

The results showed that Zambia’s performance was nose-diving, and needed a Given Singuluma away goal against Mozambique in the penultimate qualifier match to secure Honour Janza’s path to Equatorial Guinea 2015 competition.

There, the results were disastrous as the Chipolopolo drew two matches against DR Congo and Cape Verde while losing 2-1 to Tunisia in the second Group B match.

Two consecutive first round exits does not even need a n’ganga to tell you that Zambia was eventually going to fail to qualify for the Afcon in one way or the other.

‘Mistakes’

Following the exit of Herve Renard in October 2013, the Zambian coaching bench has exchanged hands from Frenchman Patrice Beaumelle, Honour Janza and now George Lwandamina http://mikemubanga.blogspot.de/2015/06/coming-in-for-criticism-lwandamina-must.html), that’s only in a space of less than three years.

The decisions have brought about drastic changes in national team players as each and every coach that has come has either introduced, retired, or recalled some players to suit his philosophy, and that is too dangerous if you ask me.

Lwandamina being a part time coach at the national team is also another mistake. The Zesco United coach, who has deservedly won back to back league titles with the Ndola based giants, has had little or no time to monitor players within Zambia and abroad.

The national team job needs an independent and full time coach who will not be accused of any bias towards his or other team(s) because the coach will be in employment full-time and can watch any match of interest in a bid to assemble a great squad.

The previous administration did not handle the Chipolopolo coaching job with the respect and dignity that it deserves, it was handled in a slapdash way to suit the needs of the administrators more than the fans, who love the Chipolopolo to the core.

‘Way forward’

The Andrew Kamanga led FAZ administration which has been at Football House for 79 days, should excuse Lwandamina and find a permanent coach for the Chipolopolo Boys before the start of the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers in October 2016.

Failure to so do will be another risk which will make Kamanga and his Exco very unpopular to the fans and Chipolopolo sponsors.

AFRICA FAILS TO DECIDE FIFA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS OUTCOME

 By Mike Mubanga

I wonder where certain soccer administrators or so called analysts in Africa got the confidence that Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa would sweep the corridors and walk tall to become the next FIFA president.

They got excited of news that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had taken a decision to support a Salman, that it was 54 block votes in the bag for the Asian, which also included one from the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ).

“FAZ in line with its core belief of unity of purpose will support the candidature of Al-Khalifa whom CAF has endorsed. We are part of the African football family under CAF and we shall follow what the continental mother body has advised,” FAZ general secretary, George Kasengele said.

The politics by CAF to adopt block voting was a gamble that may haunt the confederation in years to come, especially now that the African continent’s vote has counted for nothing.

I feel it is high time that Africa stops block voting system, unless there is a genuine reason why the Confederation could continue giving votes to one candidate without the full approval of local member associations.

Any FIFA president will have to work for the votes of the CAF region in order to break the normal practice of voting as a block, a move which will give a mandate for FA’s to vote for their candidate of choice. 

The days of block voting are long gone, if there is a democracy and Africa believe in a democracy, then that means that everyone who is nominated has a chance to participate and whoever votes, votes, whichever way.

INFANTINO IS THE MAN

Gianni Infantino

Gianni Infantino, UEFA’s general secretary, was on Friday elected to succeed Sepp Blatter as President of football governing body, FIFA.

Infantino, who hails from Switzerland like former president Sepp Blatter, was elected with a simple majority during a second round of voting in the presidential election at a FIFA Extraordinary Congress in Zurich.

The first round of voting had failed to determine an outright winner.

1st round results:

• Gianni Infantino: 88 votes
• Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa: 85 votes
• Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan: 27 votes
• Jerome Champagne: 7 votes.

2nd round results:

• Gianni Infantino: 115 votes
• Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa: 88 votes
• Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan: 4 votes
• Jerome Champagne: 0 votes

CATHERINE PHIRI BEATS YAZMIN RIVAS TO BECOME WORLD BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION

Picture courtesy of WBC

By Mike Mubanga

Zambia's Catherine Phiri is the new Bantamweight world boxing champion after she upset Yazmin 'Rusita' Rivas in six rounds in Mexico.

The win makes Catherine the first African to lift the gold title, which has previously been held by some of the world great boxers including Susie Ramadan.

In Zambia, Catherine becomes the first boxer to lift the WBC belt, another record that will all but surely put her in the book of the best fighters the country has ever produced.

Blogger Mike Mubanga reports that the fight was ended in the sixth round via a technical decision following what can be described as an accidental head butt that stopped the exchange of leather.

Knowing how good Yasmin has been to the extent of the Mexican successfully defending her belt four times, Catherine was determined to stop her through the use of quick movements and powerful punches that caught Rivas terribly.

Catherine shut Rivas supporters that turned up at the Convention Center Rosarito in Baja California with another set of punches in the second and third round, while ducking Rivas' efforts.

'Accidental head butt'

Many will remember the head butt that stopped the Esther Phiri Vs Sandra Almeida fight, an act which was similar in the Phiri Vs Rivas contest.

A clash of heads between Phiri and Rivas caused a gash around Rusita's right eye and forced referee Raul Caiz to dock one point from the Zambian boxer but ringside doctor Ernesto Franco felt that the fight should not continue.

As of the judges score which had a panelist of the Caiz family, Sergio Caiz scored 58-56, Carla Caiz had 57-57 while Raul Caiz junior recorded 59-55.

"I am very happy and can't explain this excitement, I have achieved what many boxers in the world have failed to do, I thank my coach (Mike Zulu), my manager (Chris Malunga) and everyone who supported me from day one. I promised them that I will come back a stronger boxer after that loss to McMahon and I have done it," a delighted Catherine told blogger, Mike Mubanga says.

The only consolation for Rivas on the night was when she bagged the 2015 Knockout of The Year award for defeating Simone Da Silva Duarte.

Other than that, it is the pain of not defending the WBC belt for the fifth time that will hurt Rusita's feelings for many days to come.