FC Muza midfielder Kelvin Mwanza believes being called up to the national team squad is a huge motivation for him after not playing actively for almost the whole of the first half of the 2024/25 Super League season due to a contractual dispute with his club.

Mwanza, who has played just seven games this season, is one of 33 players named to Wedson Nyirenda’s provisional squad for this month’s 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) final-round qualification matches against Mozambique.

Zambia will begin the qualifications away to Mozambique on December 21st, before hosting the Mambas in the reverse fixture on December 28th.

Mwanza has been called up to the national squad for the second time, following his debut in the Cosafa tournament.

However, in an exclusive interview with Bolanews, Mwanza stated that he is excited and looking forward to contributing positively to the team’s advancement in the competition.

“It’s a great opportunity, looking at what happened at the beginning of the season. I think it’s really a motivation for me.

“I think they [fans] should be supportive like always and we will do our level best to make sure we qualify for CHAN and I personally will contribute,” said Mwanza. 

On working with head coach Wedson Nyirenda, who is in charge of the team, Mwanza said: “Coach Wedson Nyirenda is one of the best coaches we have in the nation and it’s a great privilege working under him.”

Winners over the two fixtures between Zambia and Mozambique will qualify for the CHAN tournament which will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania from February 1-28, 2025. 

READ MORE: Wada Wada explains why Zambia’s CHAN qualification maybe tricky against Mozambique