The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has announced plans to conduct nationwide trials for the senior national team to identify new talent from all parts of the country.

This decision follows a consultative meeting with the executive committee held on July 19, 2024.

FAZ General Secretary, Reuben Kamanga, stated, “Following the Executive Committee meeting held on July 19, 2024, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) met to consider a recommendation by the Technical Committee to hold a countrywide player selection exercise.”

Trials for the male national team will be conducted in Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces, covering all ten provinces of the country.

“The countrywide selection for male players will see two streams of teams converging in Lusaka for Southern, Lusaka, Central, Eastern, and Western provinces, while the other batch will have Copperbelt, North-Western, Northern, Luapula, and Muchinga provinces,” Kamanga explained.

There has been a public outcry from some sections of football supporters, question player selection criteria, especially when the national team fails to deliver.

How will the talent search be conducted?

The move by FAZ will see the selected players from Lusaka go up against those from Copperbelt, with the best talent getting a chance to join the national team.

“The best players from the provincial teams will face off with each other, and the best squad will be selected to face the national team in an All Stars Versus the Rest format,” Kamanga added.

FAZ has called on experts from all parts of the country to work hard to bring on board the much-talked-about talent from rural areas.

“We encourage the technical experts in the provinces to bring to the fore some of the much-talked-about rural talent that can be brought to the attention of national selectors,” Kamanga urged.

The exercise is set to commence soon, with further details to be communicated by the association.