Newly appointed Zambia national team coach Moses Sichone may be unable to coach at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) if his UEFA A licence is not converted to a CAF A licence in time.
Under CAF’s new regulations, announced in May 2025, all coaches participating in AFCON must hold a CAF A or CAF Pro licence, or a Pro licence from another federation.
Sichone, who took over from Avram Grant last month, currently holds a UEFA A licence, which means he may not be eligible to sit on the bench at the tournament unless it is converted to a CAF A licence ahead of AFCON. CAF allows for licence upgrades or conversions, which may require the coach to attend CAF coaching modules or assessments.
The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has not yet confirmed whether Sichone’s licence has been converted in time for the tournament.
Sichone began his coaching career in 2013 with Alemannia Aachen in Germany, working with the youth teams until 2017. He later served as technical director at FAZ from 2017 to 2018 before taking charge of FC Rhenania Lohn between 2019 and 2020. From 2020 to 2022, he was the under-17 coach at Viktoria Köln.
His technical bench includes Germany-based former Chipolopolo international Andrew Sinkala as assistant coach, Green Eagles head coach Perry Mutapa as second assistant, and Mamelodi Sundowns’ AFCON-winning goalkeeper Kennedy Mweene as goalkeepers’ coach.
Another AFCON winner, Joseph Musonda, serves as physical trainer, while Noel Mwandila takes charge as strikers’ coach.
Zambia is drawn in Group A alongside hosts Morocco, Mali, and Comoros. They will kick off their campaign against Mali in Casablanca on Monday next week.
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