Red Arrows head coach Chisi Mbewe says his team is unconcerned about the Kabwe Warriors fans “social media noise” ahead of the 2024 ABSA Cup final on Sunday at the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka.
There has been a lot of excitement among Kabwe Warriors fans on social media ahead of the final, with Kabwe businessman Matthew Mohan reportedly announcing that Central Farmers Nest has organised 10 Rosa buses to transport fans from Kabwe to Lusaka to support the Zambia Railways-sponsored team.
Kabwe Warriors advanced to the final after defeating FC Muza 2-1 last Saturday, while Red Arrows also defeated Nchanga Rangers 2-1.
“We don’t want to follow what Kabwe warriors are saying or doing,” Mbewe told reporters on Thursday. “We believe in action; our focus will be to prepare our boys and make sure we are crowned champions on Sunday.”
He continued: “We are not intimidated by the social media noise being made by warriors, our job is to work on the pitch.”
Mbewe anticipates ‘interesting’ game
Mbewe, whose team is just one point away from becoming Zambian Super League champions for the third time, hopes to win the double this season.
He expects an interesting game because Warriors has improved significantly since Numba Mumamba took over as head coach.
“This game will be interesting; since Numba took over, the team has been doing well. This is a Cup game; we have watched them; they are playing well; we have prepared and are looking forward to competing with the Kabwe Warriors,” noted the coach.
The Airmen are in top form this season, having scored 64 points in their last 30 Super League games. In those 30 games, they won 19, drew 7, and lost four.
Meanwhile, Warriors and Arrows last met in a cup game in 2007 in the MOSI Cup quarterfinals, with the Red Arrows winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Lawrence Pondani and Simon Lupiya.
Warriors are making their first appearance in the ABSA Cup final, while the Airmen aim for their second title after winning it in 2013.
