Avram Grant has named his 26-member provisional squad for the forthcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Chad. Once again, Saudi Arabia-based striker Fashion Sakala has been left out.
Grant has resorted to a new group of attackers, recalling up Francisco Mwepu of Cadiz CF and Jimmy Mukeya of Napsa Stars while Patson Daka is still out with an injury.
Italy-based US Lecce winger Lameck Banda, Kennedy Musonda, Joseph Sabobo Banda, Edward Chilufya, and Songa Chipyoka have all kept their spots in the team. Striker Kingston Mutandwa of Cagliari and Kenneth Kasanga of Nkwazi have been dropped.
Explaining Sakala’s continued exclusion from the squad, Grant expects him to apologize for publicly criticizing his selection criteria and accusing him of coercing players.
“I believe very much in the values and standards off the pitch, especially in this country. But everywhere that I was, the values and the standards were for everybody, be it the rich, poor, young, or mature. And we will keep on this standard,” Grant told journalists on Wednesday morning in Lusaka at Football House.
He continued:“If [Stopilla] Sunzu speaks against his friends in the media, he will not be in the squad. If Patson Daka records the [FAZ] media guy secretly and publishes it, he will not be in the squad.
“If Gift [Mpande] will speak publicly against the coach instead of knocking on the door and say I don’t agree [with something], he will not be in the squad. So this is the standard for everybody. I believe in this and I will continue believing it. And if a player thinks that he made a mistake and says ‘Sorry, I think I was angry,’ there is a direct line to the coach. It never happened that I didn’t answer.”
“I told you this I think two months ago nothing changed. So the regulation is for every player I believe in this, I believe in the values and standards on the pitch, and I will continue believing this.”
How did the Grant, Sakala fallout start
After Zambia’s disappointing performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in January, the two fell out. In an audio recording, Sakala accused Grant of making a vow to never call him up to the national team. He also claimed that players connected to his agent, Nir Karin, were being given preference by the Israeli coach.
Grant refuted these claims, calling them lies, and said that the former Rangers FC star was only upset about being left off the team due to his subpar performance at the AfCON.
Meanwhile, the match-winning goal scorer against Sierra Leone, Kings Kangwa, and Yanga SC midfielder Clatous Chama have also been called up. Emmanuel Banda, who recently joined Al-Tai in Saudi Arabia, misses for the second time.
Ayr United defender Frankie Musonda has returned to the squad after missing the previous two games. Dominic Chanda, David Bulaya, and Benedict Chepeshi have taken the places of Killian Kanguluma, Zacharia Chilongoshi, and Killian Kanguluma.
In their last 13 games, the Chipolopolo have only managed two victories. They will seek to build on their 3-2 win over Sierra Leone in the qualifying campaign.
They will host Chad in Ndola on October 11 before the return leg on October 15.
Zambia is currently second in the group with three points from two games. Toping the group is Ivory Coast six points after winning their first two games.
Chad and Sierra Leone, on the other hand, have a point each.
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