Veteran football administrator Patrick Tembo says the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) appears not to have had a clear succession plan when it parted ways with former Zambia national football team coach Avram Grant.
In October last year, FAZ cut ties with Grant despite him having more than a year remaining on his contract.
The executive led by Keith Mweemba then appointed Moses Sichone as interim coach to oversee Zambia’s participation at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Following Zambia’s disappointing performance at the tournament, it became evident that Sichone would be replaced, with many expecting FAZ to appoint a substantive coach.
However, Sichone has instead been replaced by another interim coach, George Lwandamina, who will be assisted by Osward Mutapa of Power Dynamos.
Reacting to the decision, Tembo, a former referee and ex-mayor of Kitwe, questioned FAZ’s move to appoint yet another interim coach.
“It shows that we had no plan for who would take over from Grant. Not that Lwandamina is a bad coach, but why are we hiring another interim coach?” Tembo wondered.
He said FAZ had missed an opportunity to begin preparing the national team for future tournaments such as the next Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup by appointing a permanent coach.
“We need to be thinking ahead. We are wasting time with interim coaches. When will we hire a coach who can sit down and plan for future tournaments?” Tembo said.
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