The Football Association of Zambia(FAZ) says it does not have the luxury of hiring an expensive coach for the Zambia national team because of budgetary limitations, the association president Andrew Kamanga revealed on Monday morning in his weekly column dubbed, “President’s Corner” on the association’s official Facebook page.
This comes a week after Croatian trainer Aljosa Asanovic officially resigned from his position as Chipolopolo head coach citing alleged contractual breaches which included non-payment of salary arrears.
We are also conscious that we do not have the luxury of hiring a coach on the top end of the market given our budgetary limitations. We will however identify a coach who will meet our aspirations and expectations for the targets we have set out.
said Kamanga.
The Chipolopolo coaching job has a monthly salary of $25,000 which Asanovic through his legal representatives claim FAZ did not fulfil as they are owing him a sum of $41,000 in salary arrears and has threatened to report the matter to FIFA if not settled.
Kamanga has however disclosed that the association have begun consultations with relevant stakeholders to provide a roadmap on the appointing of the next coach for the Chipolopolo who will resume their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next year in March with back-to-back fixtures against Lesotho.
We have opened consultations with key stakeholders to provide a roadmap for appointing the next Chipolopolo coach. Our desire is that we should have a coach in good time before the qualifiers next year.
he added.
Several former Chipolopolo coaches have so far openly expressed interest to take over the national team’s top job after the Zambian government through the ministry of sports gave FAZ the greenlight to hire a local coach.
The coaches include current Mozambican topflight side Ferroviaro de Beira coach Wedson Nyirenda, Kabwe Warriors coach George Lwandamina and Patrick Phiri.
Lwandamina and Nyirenda are also among the long list of coaches who had a stint at the national team since 2016, which includes Nkana coach Beston Chambeshi, Green Eagles’ Aggrey Chiyangi, Serbian trainer Milutin Sredojevic, Belgian’s Sven Vandenbroeck and most recent, Asanovic.
