On Wednesday, Minister of Youth, Sports, and Arts Elvis Nkandu dropped a bombshell targeted at Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) president Andrew Kamanga over the performance of the Zambia U-20 national team.
Zambia was eliminated from the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations after falling to Tunisia 2-1 on Monday. It was their second loss in the competition, as they finished last in their group with only one point.
The poor results have not sat well with the minister, who slammed the FAZ president during the ABSA Cup draws in Lusaka.
The Young Chipolopolo drew 1-1 with Benin and lost 2-0 to The Gambia to miss out on qualification for the 2023 Indonesia U-20 World Cup.
They bowed out of the competition with only two goals and no player winning a man of the match award.
Minister blows hot and cold
However, Nkandu, before delivering his speech, fired shots at the FAZ supremo over the poor performance of the team.
He started by narrating how embarrassed he was while watching the U-20 national team with his Botswana counterpart.
“I was watching it[Zambia Vs Tunisia game] with the minister of sports of Botswana, and [I was embarrassed]. Our players couldn’t even trap the ball,” the minister said.
Nkandu flatly told the FAZ supremo that his office will not tolerate bad results from the national teams.
“I think we won’t shy away from saying this. With the support [you are receiving] from the government and the corporate world, I don’t think we should tolerate such a display.”
“I think president Kamanga you need to go an extra mile. As a country we are not happy,” stated Nkandu.
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He went on to say that the government is looking forward to seeing the Chipolopolo Boys reclaim their place as African champions.
The minister also hailed Kamanga for the impressive performances of the World Cup-bound Women’s National Team.
“President Kamanga, we will not again shy away to applaud you when our women are doing as good as they are doing. We really appreciate you and we will continue supporting you.”
