On Saturday Mwenya Chipepo and his Power Dynamos side were officially crowned champions of the 2022/23 MTN Super League season for the seventh time in their history.
They suffered a humiliating 5-1 defeat in their last game of the season against the Red Arrows at Nkoloma Stadium.
Despite the loss, Chipepo revealed that people are confident his team can reclaim Zambia’s lost four slots in the CAF interclub competitions.
Zambia is currently ranked 13th in the CAF 5-year ranking, which determines how many clubs each country can enter in the CAF Confederations Cup and Champions League.
“We are representing Zambia, and people are optimistic that Power Dynamos will do well and reclaim the lost slots,” Chipepo said.
Only countries ranked in the top 12 qualify to enter two teams into each of the two club competitions.
Meanwhile, Chipepo has expressed satisfaction with the progress he has made at the club in the two years.
“I feel nice, and as the technical bench, we are very happy. It wasn’t easy winning the league; it was tough…. What we have done in two years, at least you have seen that the team has really improved. So we are very happy with the performance of our players,” he said.
Chipepo wants quality players at Power Dynamos for CAF Champions League
Chipepo added that Power Dynamos will need to strengthen their squad if they are to do well in continental football and reclaim the two lost CAF competition slots.
“Of course we have to reinforce the team,” he said. “From that game [against Red Arrows) we saw that there is something that we are missing. So we need to reinforce the team.”
However, the Power Dynamos coach declined to reveal the names of the players he plans to sign.
“I have the names, but I can’t mention the names. For now, just know that we are going to beef up the team,” he said.
Power Dynamos will be making their sixth appearance in the CAF Champions League next season. They reached the quarterfinals of the competition in 1985.
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The Aba Yellow also reached the second round three times in 1998, 2001, and 2012, and the first round in 1995.
In 1991, they became the first southern African club to win a continental trophy after winning the African Cup Winners’ Cup. The competition, which began in 1975, was later combined with the CAF Cup to form the now CAF Confederation Cup in 2004.
Power defeated Nigerian club BCC Lions in a two-legged final to lift the trophy. They will look to build on their history next season.
